Great Power
by Ulkira
Summary: Doctor Eggman has come up with a scheme which he believes will finally rid him of Sonic and his constant meddling. Is this true? If so, can Sonic and his friends stop the Doctor in time?
1. Prologue: The Doctor's Rage

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Prologue: The Doctor's Rage <strong>

The spacious and well-light room with its domed roof seemed completely empty, save for the single figure seated at the small, oak table in the room's center. The entire room was plated with a smooth metal painted a dull gray coloring. A huge display the size of a JumboTron was suspended from one of the walls, facing the table behind which the aforementioned man sat. A computer keyboard sat before the man while cup of steaming coffee was at the his elbow, perched neatly on a coaster, his hands gripping the armrests of his swiveling chair firmly as he stared up intensely at the display before him.

Currently, the display was playing a video of a blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog zipping at incredible speeds around a towering, bulky robot of a bright crimson shade, easily outmaneuvering the robot's deadly yet slow attacks. The hedgehog then curled into a ball and shot upwards like a bullet, straight at the robot's wide torso, piercing through it as if the machine was made of cotton and not metal. The giant machine lurched forward and fell flat on its front with a heavy impact before short-circuiting. The cerulean hedgehog landed on top of it and gently poked it with the front of his red and white footwear. Grinning, the hedgehog turned towards the camera and waved.

"Come on, Eggman, these things aren't even a challenge anymore!" he remarked in apparent disappointment. "You're losing your touch, man. Maybe you should just retire from the Evil Business, eh?" The hedgehog leaped off the robot's damaged remains and dusted his gloved hands, a smirk playing across his furless muzzle as he glanced at the downed robot and then back at the camera. "Looks like the next time I need a warm-up, I should give you a call, right?" With a hearty chuckle, the hedgehog dashed off-screen, causing the recording to sway violently from the slipstream of his speedy departure.

The video feed then came to an end, a black screen replacing the image. A tense silence hung in the air for a brief second before the man at the table raised his gloved hands into the air and slammed them forcibly onto the wooden table. "Dammit!" he cried in fury, slamming his fists repeatedly against the desk. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" He slammed his fists once more on the table, finally upsetting the cup beside him and causing it to slip off the table and fall to the ground below. The cup shattered as it hit the metal floor, but in his rage the man paid no notice. Pushing his chair back, he folded his arms across his chest, above his rather largely-proportioned belly, grinding his teeth furiously as he muttered incomprehensible words to himself.

Dressed in a bright red jacket and black trousers and boots, with goggles situated at the top of his bald scalp, a pair of deep blue, _pince-nez_ glasses obscuring his eyes, and an unbelievably large and flamboyant moustache growing underneath his pink, beak of a nose, the man was none other than the genius with an IQ of 300 and a mastery in the manufacture of machines: Doctor Ivo Robotnik, known more notoriously as Doctor Eggman. And the hedgehog he had just been watching onscreen was his arch-nemesis, the eternal thorn in his side, the famous high-speed hero: Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Aaarrgghh! Why can't I ever beat that blasted hedgehog?" the Doctor raged, holding his head furiously in his hands. "Every single time I come up with a plan, he finds some way to thwart it! Whether it's through sheer luck or skill, every time it's the same result. Gah!" Stomping his feet on the ground in a comically childish manner, the Doctor continued his tantrum, ranting about how much he loathed "that meddlesome blue rodent".

When he had finally finished venting (and causing $100 worth of property damage), he leaned back in his chair, breathing heavily through his nose and ruffling his facial hair as a result. There just _had_ to be a way for him to rid himself of Sonic, but how? How was he going to beat someone he hadn't been able to beat for years? And especially when he had all those troublesome friends at his side?

"Hmm. Oho, I know! I'll enlist the assistance of a mystical being to help me kill that darn hedgehog!" His expression brightening, the Doctor pulled himself closer to his desk and placed his hands on the keyboard, his fingers dancing with skillful and practiced grace across the keys as he fired up the Google Search Engine. After all, even evil geniuses used Google for their frequent searches. Why bother hacking into and going through government documents when you could find anything you wanted through Google? The highly familiar webpage loaded onto the giant display on the wall as the Doctor began entering his query. Eggman had just finished typing in the words "Cliché Apocalyptic Entities From Obscure Mythology" in the search bar, and was about to press "Enter", when he froze, his hand slowly moving away from the keyboard to stroke his chin thoughtfully.

Was it just him, or did every single one of his attempts to seek the aid of a supernatural entity result in said entity betraying him and then putting the entire planet (or something of that scale or even higher) in jeopardy due to their own twisted agenda? There was that time when he released Chaos, and the water lord had ended up betraying him to express his pent-up rage; then there had been Shadow, who had not only manipulated the Doctor in the very manner he had hoped to manipulate the black hedgehog, but he had created a situation which was even more perilous than the one Chaos had induced! There had also been the issue with Dark Gaia's awakening and its subsequent betrayal of Eggman to destroy the world, as well as the Gizoid christened "Emerl" by Sonic and his friends who ended up turning Eggman's brilliant plan against himself and the Earth. And though he did not remember it, Eggman had also been played like a flute by Solaris' malevolent and separated subconscious, Mephiles the Dark, in an attempt to slay Sonic and eradicate all of time and space. And let's not forget the fact two of Eggman's most powerful robots, Metal Sonic and E-123 Omega, had both betrayed him because they felt he had "mistreated" them a little. Or maybe it was "a lot". He couldn't really remember.

Eggman sighed, cancelling the search program and flopping back down in his seat once more. Even _if _he found an ally that didn't have a hidden scheme and wasn't going to betray him (Yeah, good luck with that!), Eggman was certain that Sonic would find a way to overcome the threat. As much as he despised the blue nuisance, even Eggman admitted that the hedgehog was not so easily defeated, nor was he one to give up so easily. Whether it was because of his determination or through the power of the Chaos Emeralds and his Super Form, Sonic overcame whatever challenge Eggman threw at him.

The Doctor's eyes suddenly widened as he leapt to his feet with a roof-shaking: "That's it!" Returning to the keyboard, he began typing furiously; scanning through specific files and logs, before a triumphant smile spread across his face. "Ho-hohohohoh!" he laughed enthusiastically after straightening up, his hands on his bloated stomach as he did so. His moustaches curled upwards with his smile as his sunglasses glinted sinisterly. "Yes, this will work perfectly! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! Ho-hohoh!" He continued his fervent typing, his determination and energy having returned with a vengeance now that the familiar prickling began appearing in his mind, the prickling that indicated the formation of a plan.

"This time, Sonic, this time you've met your match! This time,_ I'll_ be the one with last laugh!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Confused? Interested? Well, it's a prologue, that's what's supposed to happen.<strong>


	2. Chapter 1: EMPH

**Author's Note: For the sake of clarity and simplicity, I will be referring to the creatures that Sonic and Company are as "Mobians", just as they do in the _Archie_ _Comics_. Though I don't consider that continuity to be Canon or reliable in content, at the very least they have offered us a name for these anthropomorphic animals. It's better than "Anthros" or "Furries", anyway. That last one just sounds offensive. **

**_To KillingKathy_: I thank you for the review. I didn't expect anyone to review my story when it only had a prologue posted up, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Don't worry, I'll do my best to update this story on a regular basis. **

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: EMPH<strong>

"Hey, man, did'ya catch the game last night?"

"Nah. The Boss had me on guard duty most of last night."

"That sucks. Who'd have thought the Boss would be so worried over something as trivial as that. I mean, it's not like it's the first time we've - What was that?"

The taller of the two uniformed men stopped in his tracks, his green eyes darting towards the line of trees nearby while his gloved hands tightened their grip around his semi-automatic. His partner, a bespectacled man with a head of bronze hair and eyes of a matching color, frowned and peered in the same direction as the first. The darkness of the night pressed against their eyes, the light from the full moon overhead doing little to aid their searching, while the shadows of the cast by the trees in forest hindered their vision range even further. After a few seconds of silent scanning, the second man finally spoke up:

"Relax, Brian. It was probably just your imagination." He placed a hand reassuringly on his partner's shoulder. "It's late and you've been on patrol for like, five hours straight. It's just the exhaustion playing tricks on your mind."

The man named "Brian" slowly nodded his head and turned his gaze away from the woods and back to his friend. "Yeah, you're probably right, John. I _am _pretty darn tired." He yawned widely all of a sudden and rubbed his eyes. "At least my shift'll be over in ten minutes, then I can finally get some rest."

"I hear ya. I'm beat too. Like I said, I was up most of last night on watch, and I barely got a wink of sleep afterwards…"

The two continued their conversation as they resumed their course around the large, metal fence on their right. As they disappeared into the darkness of the night, a dark figure dropped down from the trees Brian had been watching earlier and landed softly on the moist grass. The figure straightened up and glanced to its left and right before dashing towards the metal fence.

The moonlight fell upon the dark form, revealing it to be a three foot tall, male anthropomorphic hedgehog. Said hedgehog's fur was a jet-black coloring, with red stripes running along the length of his arms and legs, as well as lining the top of the six quills growing out of the back of his head. Both pairs of quills on either side of his head were turned upwards, while the two at the back were swept downward. A tuft of white fur covered the hedgehog's chest, contrasting brilliantly against his onyx fur. The mouth on the tan muzzle was twisted into a permanent frown, with the crimson eyes cold and intense. White gloves covered the hedgehog's hands while shoes of a white, black, red, and yellow color combination covered his feet. Above both his gloves and shoes was a gold ring, the moonlight reflecting faintly off its polished surface.

He was Shadow the Hedgehog, otherwise known as The Ultimate Lifeform.

Raising his head, the hedgehog examined the fifteen-foot-tall boundary, before bending down and picking up a twig from the ground. With a gentle flick of his hand, he tossed the twig at the fence. As soon as the twig came in contact with metal meshwork, a sizzling noise sounded as a small flash of electricity engulfed the twig, burning it to ash before the figure's eyes. _Electrocuted_, noted the obsidian hedgehog with a smirk before glancing to his left and right. Satisfied that no one was in sight, Shadow crouched lower, activating his Air Shoes, and pushed off from the ground, using the added propulsion provided by his shoes to augment the height of his leap. The hedgehog effortlessly sailed over the high fence and landed with the gentleness of a cat on the other side. His eyes darting to take in his surroundings, the hedgehog ducked into the shadow of a large warehouse, his natural dark coating allowing him to blend in perfectly in the shadows. Fitting, wasn't it, considering his name was Shadow?

From his cover, Shadow scrutinized the area before him, his blood-red eyes taking everything in like a video camera. He was currently standing beside a large warehouse, one of the many buildings located in this facility. And what exactly was this facility, you may ask? Well, it was one of the many base of operations for a recently discovered organization with questionable opinions on some members of society. This was one of the bases of "E.M.P.H." (Eradicate Mobians Protect Humanity), or "EMPH"; a radical organization that held discriminating views towards the humanoid animals that inhabited the planet along with humans. Every Mobian, regardless of species or social status, was deemed an enemy by EMPH, an enemy that had to be destroyed for the safety of humankind. Needless to say, the world leaders did not agree with this assertion, condemning the organization and its actions.

At first, EMPH was seen as little more than a gang of insignificant racists, until their words slowly began to reach the ears of other similar-minded folk. With its numerous anonymous sponsors, assets, and influence, the organization rapidly amassed quite a large number of followers and built a multitude of secret bases around the world, all sporting high-tech defenses and equipment. At a startling rate, the group grew, turning into a global organization, and a global threat. Very soon, the "Pro-Mobians" (as EMPH sneeringly addressed them), those who disagreed with EMPH's views, began opposing the association. It was only a matter of time before EMPH was declared a terrorist group due to its actions and beliefs, and even less time when battles (whether physical, cyber, financial, or political) ensued between the two sides.

So here Shadow was, in a terrorist's military base filled with humans who regarded people such as him as a menace to humans. But the dark hedgehog did not care about these fools and their opinions. It was simply their fear of the unknown, of the different, that was making them think like this. Yes, it was because of this reason that they were shunning and victimizing Mobians: because they were different. It was exactly how everyone had treated _her_…

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Shadow raised his wrist to his mouth and began speaking into it. "This is Agent Shadow," he announced softly into the communicator hidden underneath his glove. "Infiltration is a success. Operation -" Here the black hedgehog paused, closing his eyes for a second, as if what he was about to say next caused him extreme pain. He then opened his eyes and continued. "Operation "Pet Retrieval" is a go."

"Roger that, Agent Shadow," came the faintly static reply from his communicator. "Henceforth, maintain radio silence."

"Understood."

Lowering his hand, Shadow surveyed his surroundings once more. He had been sent here to search for something, and that something was in one of the buildings in this base. Like the very feature he was named after, the onyx hedgehog darted out from his cover and into the shadow of another building, this one more closer to the center of the complex. Concealing himself behind an air duct, Shadow scanned what he could see of the base from his location with narrowed eyes. As it was a military base of sorts, he could only assume that the many warehouses in the area held weapons and vehicles for battle. There were bound to be command centers, as well as bunkers for the troops. Would he find what he was looking for in any of those places? No, most likely not. He had to search elsewhere, someplace where it would be easy and safe to -.

"Intruder detected! Repeat: Intruder detected!"

Oh, great.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: GASP! A cliffhanger? So early in the story? I tease!<strong>

**Reviews are welcomed. Flames are not.**


	3. Chapter 2: Security Breach

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Security Breach<strong>

"Intruder detected!"

Shadow stiffened as he heard numerous security alarms and sirens go off all around him following the ear-piercing announcement issuing from the speakers situated throughout the base. As Shadow watched, the doors to the buildings swung open and armed soldiers surged out, joining their comrades and readying their weapons. Shadow readied himself for battle, prepared to defend himself against the horde of enemies. In the back of his mind, he was scorning himself, wondering how he could have been careless enough to get detected. But then, how _had_ he been detected? No one should have seen him, he had made certain of that, yet here he was, having been detected by some means unknown to him and now facing an army of armed humans. Clenching his teeth in annoyance, the hedgehog curled his hands into fists as he awaited the attack. This mission had just gotten more difficult.

But wait a minute. Was it just his imagination, or were none of the soldiers actually paying any attention to him? In fact, didn't they all seem to be concentrated on something in the opposite direction of were Shadow stood? At the very moment he realized: _That alarm wasn't for me_, he saw a blue streak zip through the mass of soldiers, knocking a good number of them to the ground. Behind the streak, something seemed to be barreling through the line of soldiers like a train or bulldozer, tossing human figures through the air as if they were made of toothpicks. And finally, to add to the soldiers' confusion, a small yellow creature could be seen zipping through the air above their heads, zapping them with what appeared to be some form of high-tech stun gun. Shadow's eyes widened slightly as he observed the carnage, the cause of the security breach.

A cobalt blue hedgehog with a pale, furless chest, muzzle, and pair of arms, wearing red and white shoes, the six quills on his head swept downward, and emerald green eyes: Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest creature in existence.

A scarlet echidna with quills fashioned in the style of dreadlocks that framed his face, a pale muzzle and indigo eyes, a crescent-shaped patch of white fur on his chest, white mitten-like gloves with two spiked-knuckles, and red and yellow shoes: Knuckles the Echidna, The Guardian of the Master Emerald.

A small, bright yellow fox with red and white shoes, sky blue eyes, a white-furred muzzle and chest, and two tails with a white-furred tip: Miles Prower, more commonly known as "Tails".

Shadow's startled eyes narrowed all of a sudden as the three heroes pummeled the EMPH members, his frown slowly intensifying. _What are _they_ doing here?_ he wondered in annoyance.

As he watched, a batch of soldiers raised their firearms and aimed them at Tails. Knuckles, seeing this, lifted an unconscious soldier from the ground and tossed him at the line soldiers, knocking them all back like bowling pins. With the predictable exclamation "Strike!" having been issued, Knuckles then leaped back into the fray, calling out to the two-tailed fox as he did so:

"Keep your guard up, Tails!"

Sonic meanwhile seemed too preoccupied with jumping from one soldier's head to another to notice what had just happened. Though who could have blamed him when his antics were warranting such amusing reactions from the victims? Having realized that gunfire at such a close range would only result in friendly fire, the soldiers were attempting to simply catch the sapphire hedgehog by hand; a feat which was even harder than hitting him with a bullet. Sonic simply laughed as the EMPH soldiers ran behind him like obsessed fan girls (that's not redundant, is it?), trying their best to pin him to the ground.

Exactly like fan girls.

Shadow growled in annoyance and turned away from the battle. _I don't have time for these idiots,_ he thought as he made use of the confusion to dart past all the troops and climb through a window into a warehouse. Since he had no idea where to look exactly, he figured he might as well start here until he came across something helpful. As he stepped into the dark and soulless warehouse, he glanced around, scanning the location like he always did. Perhaps he could force some information out of one of the soldiers? Getting at them might be slightly easier with the commotion that the cobalt blue hedgehog was causing, but then Shadow might risk exposure; and he had been told specifically to remain hidden for as long as possible. If the base was still as quiet as it had been before Sonic's arrival, then perhaps Shadow might have been able to abduct a soldier without anyone noticing. _Tch. That blue hedgehog is just making this mission harder for me._

At that very moment, he heard the door behind him swing open as four EMPH soldiers rushed inside and slammed the door shut behind them. All four of them were breathing heavily and were seemingly unaware of Shadow's presence right behind them. They were staring fearfully out the window at something, no doubt the chaos that was occurring in the complex. One by one, the soldiers turned away from the window, and one by one, they each froze as they stared in disbelief at Shadow. The obsidian hedgehog did not move, nor did he speak as the men stared at him in stunned silence.

One of the soldiers finally found his voice. "N-no way! We totally just saw you outside a moment ago!" he cried, pointing a finger at Shadow, as if he refused to believe that he stood there. "There's no _way_ you could have made it in here so fast! Even if you _are _fast!"

The other soldiers nodded in agreement, the look of fear on their faces intensifying. Shadow's mouth slowly curled into a faint smirk as he registered the meaning behind the soldier's words. It seemed as if _someone_ was mistaking him for that sapphire hedgehog again. But it did not matter at this moment. No, what mattered was that perhaps Sonic's assault on this base _wasn't _going to make his mission harder. His smirk vanishing, Shadow lunged at the soldiers, who barely had any time to register the action before they were all knocked to the ground in an unconscious heap. Only the soldier to speak first was still conscious, currently held against the wall with Shadow's hand wrapped around his neck as the hedgehog posed his query at him. Terrified, injured, the man answered Shadow's questions without thought, the frightened squeak that was his voice completely honest and devoid of any deception. Satisfied with the results, Shadow knocked the man out as he had the others before turning away from them.

He then moved to another window and prepared to slip through it to the outside when he heard a crash of shattering glass behind him. Spinning around, the black hedgehog recognized the blue form rising to its feet and glancing around the interior with a delighted grin plastered across his face.

"Hey guys! Where'd ya go?" Sonic called out, having yet to pick out Shadow's form from the darkness. "You can't just run away like that! The party's just getting starte-!"

His words came to halt as he noticed the bodies lying at his feet. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Sonic looked up and finally spotted Shadow standing before him. Grinning, the sapphire hedgehog waved and sauntered over to his black counterpart.

"Hey there, Shadow! Long time no see!" he greeted enthusiastically, slapping Shadow on the arm in a friendly manner and receiving a glare from the darker one. "So, what brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Sonic," came the stiff reply. Sonic blinked and scratched his head with a gloved hand.

"Who, me, Tails, and Knuckles? Oh, we're just here looking for the Chaos Emerald."

Shadow tilted his head in curiosity as he repeated the name of the legendary stone slowly in the form of a question. Sonic nodded his head and gestured to the complex outside. "Tails found out that these guys found a Chaos Emerald a while ago and have been keeping it here since." He grinned mischievously. "And since we figured these guys aren't going to be using it for something as innocent as a nightlight, we've come here to relieve them of it."

Sonic's words came as a surprise to the dark hedgehog. No matter what he thought of them, Shadow knew that not even Sonic would joke about the legendary Chaos Emeralds. When it came to the Chaos Emeralds, everyone seemed to take on a more serious tone. After all, no one thought lightly of the Emeralds anymore. Closing his eyes and calming his mind, Shadow concentrated and searched for any signs of Chaos Energy in the area aside from Sonic, Knuckles, or himself. After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes and slowly looked at the cobalt blue hedgehog with a nod.

"Yes, you're right. There is a Chaos Emerald here," he agreed, his eyes shifting to glance out the window, and then back to Sonic. "It's nearby, too. I'm sure you can feel it as well."

Nodding, Sonic looked at Shadow with interest. "So, wanna help us find it?" he asked pleasantly. Shadow's frown deepened as he turned away from his blue rival.

"No. I'm not here for the Chaos Emerald. I've been sent here to retrieve something else."

"Something else? Like what?"

"Let's just say it's something extremely valuable to GUN."

"You mean like a weapon? Or blueprints of a weapon?"

Shadow shook his head as he made his way to the window. "Neither. Now stop pestering me about it."

Sonic frowned in annoyance. "Aw, c'mon, Shadow!" he whined childishly. "C'mon, tell me what you're here for. Who knows? Maybe we can help!" The eager hedgehog's begging came to a halt as Shadow threw him a murderous glare. A second of silence passed between the two hedgehogs before the door behind them swung open to let Knuckles and Tails inside.

Black and blue turned to survey red and yellow as the latter pair glanced at the former. The young fox stepped forward, a small handheld radar in his hand, the look of surprise on his face mirroring that on Knuckles'. "Shadow! What are you doing here?" he asked curiously, his prepubescent voice soft and innocent.

Grimacing visibly, Shadow turned and leaped out the window without answering. Before he had turned around and climbed to the top of the warehouse, he faintly heard the fox ask in wonder: "Was it something I said?", followed by Sonic's jovial: "Don't worry, Tails. Shadow's just in a hurry."

Having reached the top of the warehouse, the obsidian hedgehog peered down at the base from his elevated position. As he expected, numerous bodies littered the concrete floor, the remnants of Sonic and his friends' rampage. Things seemed to have quieted down now that the three heroes had taken shelter inside the warehouse. And Shadow could hazard a guess as to why Knuckles and Tails had joined Sonic in the building. Below Shadow marched several soldiers, all searching for the three Mobians which had dared assault their base. Among the soldiers walked the two-legged F-6 Big Foots, their designs modeled from technology stolen from GUN and then customized for EMPH's needs. It seemed that the arrival of the Big Foots had caused Knuckles and Tails to retreat to safety. Shadow smirked in appreciation. That was what those fools had deserved, causing a ruckus like they had. They should have elected for stealth rather than force. _But then again, stealth was never their strong point, _Shadow reconsidered as he contemplated Sonic and Knuckles' mindset.

Tearing his eyes away from the Big Foots, Shadow glanced over at the numerous structures around him. As stated, there were troops everywhere, searching every building for the intruders. It was only a matter of time until they found the four anthropomorphic creatures. He had to hurry. Just then, crimson orbs came to halt as they locked onto two buildings to his right. Activating his Air Shoes, the dark hedgehog made an enhanced jump to get closer to them while sticking to the rooftops. Once he was close enough, Shadow looked down at the two buildings from his perch atop a sleeping barrack.

Now, there was nothing outstanding or unique about these two structures' appearance as compared to the others; nevertheless, Shadow's attention had been directed to them. And the reason for that was the group of troops stationed at the door. Considering how every other building was devoid of any guards, and that every soldier Shadow had thus seen so far was searching the base, it was indeed odd to find only these two being protected. Perhaps both these buildings housed important officers and personal? Unlikely. If the situation were that grave, they would not waste time guarding their quarters; instead the officials would have been evacuated immediately. No, these troops were here to protect something, and it was not their superiors.

Silently, Shadow counted how many guards were stationed at each door, his eyes narrowing as he realized that it would be nigh impossible for him to take them all down without revealing himself. _Tch, if those fools hadn't gotten everyone so worked up, then maybe I wouldn't be facing this predicament_, noted Shadow bitterly. It was true. The guards did seem on edge, their faces suggesting that they were ready to fight to the death to protect whatever was inside those buildings. The more Shadow observed, the more convinced he was that his objective lay inside one of those structures. But the question was: which one?

Closing his eyes, the obsidian hedgehog once more concentrated. Immediately, he felt the energy signature of the Chaos Emerald in the right-most building. Opening his eyes, the hedgehog turned his attention away from that one and to the other. A faint smirk flashed across his mouth. It seemed he'd found what he was looking for.


	4. Chapter 3: Something Valuable

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Something Valuable<strong>

"Psst! Shadow! Hey, Shadow!" a voice called from behind the dark hedgehog. When Shadow did not turn, the cobalt blue hedgehog frowned and crawled across the roof silently to come up beside him. Glancing down, Sonic gave a slight "Oh" of surprise before turning to his ebony counterpart, who had his eyes shut and arms folded across his chest. Sonic smirked as he realized that Shadow was doing his utmost best to ignore the blue one's presence. The onyx one had this small hope that if he ignored Sonic long enough, the excited hedgehog would leave him alone.

He should have known that wasn't going to work.

"So, Shadow. I'm guessing what you're looking for is in _this_ building, eh?" Sonic pointed to the building Shadow had singled out as harboring his goal. Sonic then jerked his thumb at the other structure, the one from which the Chaos Emerald's signal could be detected. "And as luck would have it, what we're looking for is in _that_ building. Crazy coincidence, ain't it? At least they're not in the same building, huh? That would be _waaay_ too coincidental."

Shadow did not reply.

Sonic looked over at the guards positioned at entrance to each building. He stroked his chin with a gloved hand. "Those sure are a lot of guards, aren't they? Seeing as how you've been trying to keep a low profile since you got here, I'm curious to know how you're planning on getting past those guys without being spotted." He turned his head to Shadow inquiringly.

Shadow did not reply.

Sonic returned his gaze to the soldiers, a sly grin falling on his lips. "Here's an idea: why don't me and the guys provide you with a distraction? That way you can sneak in while we draw the soldiers' attention." Sonic then slowly turned to face Shadow, his eyes glinting mischievously as a mocking grin spread across his face. "That is, of course, _if _you want our help. You do want our help, don't you, "Mr. Ultimate Lifeform"?"

Shadow did not reply.

Chuckling, Sonic patted his rival on the shoulder before heading back to Knuckles and Tails. "We'll try and give you as much time as you need, buddy!" He waved without turning and vanished over the edge of the roof. Shadow finally opened his eyes, his mouth stretched into a thin line as he slowly clenched his fists in suppressed fury. How he _hated_ that blue hedgehog.

The targeted buildings were not particularly close to each other, nor were they visible from their positions. Shadow's preferred storage building was two away from a wide gap between two bunkers. Travelling down this gap and across the wide stretch of concrete beyond would lead one directly to the storage room holding the Chaos Emerald. From Shadow's perch on the barrack, he could see both buildings easily, but the guards at each one could not see each other. But they would still be able to notice a disruption occurring at the other building, whether it was from the sounds of destruction or because of the back-up that would rush there to quell the threat.

It was roughly three minutes later that Shadow spotted the three primary colors darting past guards towards the storage room housing the Chaos Emerald. After a quick glance at his surroundings, the sapphire hedgehog leaped out from his cover right in front of the row of guards. With a grin, Sonic stuck his tongue out at them, causing the apparently very sensitive guards to glance at each other before charging at the hedgehog in anger. Laughing, Sonic easily evaded their charge with a leap over their heads and made for the door they were guarding. The soldiers immediately realized their mistake and turned around, but were interrupted by the intervention of Knuckles and Tails. Sonic, instead of opening the door and stepping into the building, merely ran up the wall before jumping off it to come crashing down on the guards' heads. Leaping off the pile of troops he'd dropped on top of, Sonic joined his friends in front of the door as the guards slowly rose to their feet, muttering as they cocked their weapons at the ready. A fray of bullets was unleashed at the three Mobians, who all ducked out of the way in time; the fight had started.

The troops at the other building heard the sounds of the commotion and glanced at each other uncertainly. It was clear that they knew what the cause of the commotion was. One of them jerked his head in the direction of the noises, suggesting that the others go help out. Nodding, the troops hurried off around the corner to what they assumed were the only Mobians to infiltrate the base. With a smirk, Shadow slid his gaze from Sonic's distraction and the departing guards to his targets. There were only two guards now; now it was merely child's play. Silently, Shadow dropped from the roof right in front of the two soldiers. Before they could react, Shadow had firmly planted his fist in the first's stomach, knocking the wind out of him as he sailed back and slammed into the wall, the force of the impact knocking him out instantly. The second soldier turned to chase after his departed comrades and opened his mouth to call out for help. Unfortunately for him, his words were halted as Shadow struck him at the base of the neck, causing him to drop to the ground in an unconscious heap. And Shadow hadn't even broken a sweat.

Grabbing both guards by the collar, the onyx-colored hedgehog dragged their bodies to a dark corner and tossed them there unceremoniously. They would be out for an hour or more; plenty of time for him to get what he wanted and get out. Bending down beside one of the guards, Shadow searched his pockets until he found what he was looking for: a pass card to the storage building. Swiftly, he made his way to the building's entrance, surveying the large metal doors with his scarlet eyes. He assumed it was rather thick and sturdy; no doubt it would have to be to hold its contents without issue. His eyes slid to the glowing panel box beside the door. Swiping the card against the panel, he stepped forward as the door unlocked. He pulled the doors apart on their sliding base. Lowering his arms, he peered inside the dark room, devoid of any light save the beams of moonlight entering through the windows. Crouched in an illuminated patch on the cold, steel floor, with steel shackles tied to her wings and limbs, was a female ivory bat dressed in a black and pink jumpsuit.

The bat's eyes opened slowly as she gazed up at the black hedgehog, and then the blue-green eyes widened in surprise. "Shadow? What are you doing here?" She blinked slowly, clearly too stunned at this occurrence to realize the obvious answer to her question. The dark male smirked at her as he stepped forward and effortlessly snapped her bonds with his hands. Now free, the bat rose to her feet slowly, rubbing her white-gloved wrists where the cuffs had been attached and watching the dark hedgehog curiously. Without another word, Shadow turned and made his way to the doors, glancing out to ensure that the coast was clear. Judging from the sounds he could hear round the corner, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails were still drawing the troops' attention away from Shadow. Though it seemed like the soldiers had called in reinforcements. More soldiers were hurrying to the scene, and Shadow spotted a pair of Big Foots slowly marching over to the chaos.

"Shadow! What are you doing here?" a feminine voiced hissed from behind Shadow.

Without turning, the male gave his reply: "I've come to save you, Rouge."

Rouge blinked a few times before grinning slyly and slapping Shadow on the shoulder playfully, causing him to face her in annoyance. "Aw, Shadow, I'm flattered! I didn't know you cared!" she remarked teasingly, pretending to blush.

The onyx-furred hedgehog frowned in irritation before turning his back at the ivory bat. "Make no mistake. I was sent here by the Commander, _as well_ as the President." A small smirk made its way onto Shadow's face as he stepped out from the building. "It seems you're more valuable to GUN than everyone thought."

Rouge blinked in surprise once more, an arrogant grin suddenly appearing on her tan muzzle. "Really now? I'll be sure to start taking advantage of that." With a laugh, she followed Shadow through the doors and out into the cool night air.

"So, did you come here alone?" Rouge whispered as she mimicked Shadow's cautious pace, her eyes darting around the area to make sure they weren't being watched. Shadow did not reply, instead speeding up his pace as they approached the corner which led to Sonic and the others. Without so much as a glance at them, Shadow past the corner and trudged forward, heading for a large building he had noted earlier to be a hangar. Rouge, however, came to a stop when she caught sight of the battle occurring nearby, her eyes narrowing as she tried to discern who was fighting whom. It did not take long for her to recognize the three colors and who they represented. Glancing at Shadow quickly, she caught up to him and asked incredulously: "Was that Sonic? What's he doing here?"

Shadow did not answer, instead pushing the door to the hangar open carefully and peering inside. To his relief, he saw that it was devoid of any human soul. Stepping inside, Shadow ran his eyes over the numerous flight vehicles parked in the hangar before his eyes fell on a black helicopter, a "Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low". He marched towards it, still ignoring Rouge as she repeated her question from earlier.

"Shadow, what are Sonic and the others doing here? Why are they fighting all those EMPH soldiers?"

Pulling the door to the cockpit open, Shadow leaped inside the helicopter and took the pilot's seat. Directing his gaze to the control panel, he began checking the chopper's system, doing a quick pre-flight test before he began starting it up.

"Shadow…" Rouge began in irritation.

"They're acting as a distraction while I get you out of here, Rouge. Now, get in quickly so we can leave."

Rouge stared at Shadow with disbelief. "You're not just going to leave them here, are you? I mean, they helped you, didn't they? Aren't you going to help them out? They could be in danger."

Her words did not seem to affect the onyx hedgehog, as he kept his attention on the controls. "Not my problem. My orders were to free you and get you to safety immediately. No detours, no side-tracking." With that answer delivered in an emotionless and flat tone, the hedgehog returned to his flight-checks. "Besides, when have you ever cared for camaraderie? I figured you were too selfish for something like that."

Rouge bristled in anger. "I may be selfish at times, but I won't leave a comrade in danger. And neither will you."

Shadow smirked. "If you're referring to the incident at Prison Island, I've told you numerous times: I only came back for the Chaos Emeralds." Rouge did not argue with what both she and Shadow knew was an outright lie. But Shadow had never spoken of the reasons behind his sudden change of heart: that Rouge was one of the few people he knew who reminded him of… reminded him of _her_.

Rouge's own frown had intensified to such a degree that it rivaled Shadow's permanent one. "So you're just going to leave them here?" she growled, clenching her fists in anger. "After they come here to help you save me?"

"They didn't come for you. They came here looking for a Chao-."

Shadow froze, stopping mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he realized his mistake. Slowly, he raised his head and looked at Rouge, whose ears had perked up at Shadow's words.

"What did you say?" she asked slowly, her eyes watching him carefully. His own eyes shifting uncertainly, Shadow returned to his work, not answering. Rouge took a step towards him and the helicopter. "You were going to say "Chaos Emerald", weren't you, Shadow?" she continued, her voice curious and interested. Looking up from the controls, Shadow saw that Rouge was not looking at him, but at the hangar door, in the direction where Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails were. A familiar expression was appearing on her face, an expression Shadow knew all too well. It was an expression of obsessive greed, one she reserved only for the most valuable of treasures, the most beautiful of jewels. Slowly, Rouge turned her head to face Shadow's and locked her eyes with his, her mouth twisting into a cunning grin. Averting his gaze, Shadow looked down at the control panel, his eyes closed as he thought fearfully:

_She wouldn't…_

"Oh, Sha-dow ~!" Rouge called in a sing-song voice, skipping over to him like a ten-year-old girl.

_She would…_

"Shadow," Rouge said once more in a voice as sweet as honey. "Remind me again: exactly _what_ were your orders?"

Shadow did not open his eyes, nor did he make any motion to react to Rouge's words. Slowly, as if it caused him great pain to do so, he answered, the words coming out forced, slow, and from behind gritted teeth.

"My orders were to free you and get you to safety immediately."

Rouge's grin widened as she looked at Shadow with a sly glint in her eyes. "So, say if I were to go on a detour… Would you have no choice but to accompany me, and fight if the need arises, to ensure my safety?"

A snarl appeared on Shadow's face as he murmured in anger: "Yes."

Rouge tilted her head and smiled sweetly at her partner. "Why don't we go help Sonic find that Chaos Emerald, Shadow?" she asked innocently, watching him with a victorious flame in her eyes.

Cursing inwards, Shadow wordlessly stepped out of the helicopter and slammed the door shut. "Fine," he muttered irritably as he marched past Rouge and towards the door. The ivory bat smirked triumphantly as she followed suit.

_So easy,_ thought Rouge proudly.

_So annoying, _thought Shadow irritably.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Would you believe me if I told that, in the first mental draft I came up with, Chapter 1 was supposed to end here? Yet now it's split into three whole segments.<strong>


	5. Chapter 4: Outnumbered

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Outnumbered<strong>

_Not one of my best ideas,_ lamented Sonic as he glanced up at the towering Big Foot before him. He shot a glance at his friends, who were both currently occupied with their own Big Foots. The soldiers had stepped back slightly to avoid getting in the Walkers' way, but they couldn't be counted out yet. The troops had formed a circle around the three heroes, caging them in and leaving them unable to escape the Big Foots. Well, not unless they wanted to risk getting shot in the back while they tried to make an escape that was bound to fail.

The sapphire hedgehog's thoughts were interrupted as the Big Foot began spewing a wave of bullets at him. With a grunt, Sonic dashed to his left, circling around the machine to evade its attack before pushing off the ground and pouncing right at the cockpit. Pulling his leg back, he the swung it forward forcefully to bring it crashing down on the cockpit. To his dismay, the attack barely did any damage. Using the momentum of his jump, the hedgehog "leapfrogged" over the Walker and landed right beside Knuckles, who was just rising to his feet after being knocked back by his own Big Foot. Panting and holding a bruised arm, Knuckles shot an annoyed glance at Sonic.

"You said this was going to be piece of cake," he snarled irritably, flexing his gloved fingers. "So far the only "pieces" I can see are us!" Just then, one of the Big Foots unleashed another wave of bullets at the crimson and cerulean animals. The two managed to roll out of the way just in time as a line of bullets shot over the spot they'd just been standing at.

Crouched down on one knee, Sonic shrugged innocently at Knuckles. "Hey, cut me some slack! I didn't think it would get this out of hand!" Getting to his feet, he made another run at the Big Foot, only to get knocked back just like Knuckles had been earlier. He came to a sliding stop at Knuckles' feet. The scarlet echidna helped his friend to his feet as the third member of their team landed beside them, panting heavily and looking completely exhausted. Tails waved his stun gun at them in anger, looking extremely pissed off.

"I _told _you guys we should have been stealthier!" he complained loudly, glancing at the soldiers who severely outnumbered them. "None of this would have happened if we had just stayed undercover from the beginning, but _noooo!_ You guys just wanted to get in and out quickly. Now look how it's turned out!"

He stomped his feet angrily, making Sonic and Knuckles wince. "I think Tails is pissed off at us, Sonic," Knuckles whispered loudly. Tails' usually jovial sky blue eyes flashed in anger. Sonic nodded in agreement at Knuckles' words. Before any of them could do anything further, they saw another pair of Big Foots join the fray. Without so much as a word between them, the Walkers' pilots encircled the three Mobians, surrounding them and further decreasing their chances of escape. Standing back-to-back, the three mammals tensed, eyeing the machines with apprehension. Sonic glanced at Knuckles and Tails from the corner of his eyes. While Knuckles seemed like he had some fight left him, the younger and much weaker fox looked about ready to collapse from fatigue. Sonic clenched his teeth in worry as he looked up at the towering machine.

_Definitely not one of my best ideas,_ he observed once more. The five Big Foots cocked their weapons and prepared to fire.

"Chaos Spear!"

A bolt of yellow energy shot through the air and pierced right through the cockpit of one of the Big Foots. The huge machine tipped over and slammed into one of its allies, thereby knocking it back as well and incapacitating it. Slowly, every eye turned from the wrecked Big Foots to the Chaos Emerald's storage room. Standing on the roof was a black hedgehog with red stripes, slowly lowering his gloved hand as he glared down at all of them. Sonic smirked up at the hedgehog.

"Took you long enough, Shadow!" he called out with a chuckle, using the momentary confusion from Shadow's arrival to dash around his friends in a circular motion, causing a gust of wind to encircle them and push the Big Foots backwards slightly. As the giant machine's tottered slightly from the slipstream-induced tornado, Sonic grabbed Knuckles and Tails by the arms and ran in between the confused Walkers. Just as they passed through, a rain of bombs dropped from the sky onto the Big Foots, exploding on impact and further disorienting their pilots. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails looked up as a white bat dropped another bomb on the Walkers before fluttering down to them.

"Hey there! Long time no see, boys!" she greeted pleasantly with a grin as she sailed over them and tornado kicked into the mass of EMPH soldiers. Grinning, Sonic joined the fray with Knuckles and Tails at his feet.

"What the hell are you doing here?" shot Knuckles to Rouge as he threw an uppercut at a soldier's jaw, sending the man flying into the air and landing on the floor in an unconscious heap. It was clear that, despite the situation, the echidna's deep distrust towards the bat was getting the better of him. Rouge smirked amusingly as she roundhouse kicked another soldier to Kingdom Kong.

"It's nice to see you too, Echidna!" she replied with a sardonic laugh. Knuckles growled in annoyance and returned to the battle, sticking close to Tails to keep an eye out for his friend's safety.

"Chaos Spear!"

The yellow bolt of Chaos Spear struck another Big Foot Walker, this time tearing through its legs and sending it crashing to the ground on its front. Shadow landed gently on the ground before it, rising to his feet and directing his attention to the two remaining Big Foots. Though he was the only one here who could actually destroy these machines, it was no easy feat. The first two were shot down easily thanks to the element of surprise; this third one's pilot still seemed too bewildered by Shadow and Rouge's arrival to be at his top game. The other two, they might present a problem, as neither seemed to be suffering from the same problem.

_These EMPH Walkers are definitely stronger than the GUN versions, _Shadow observed grimly. _The Chief isn't going to like this news._

Just then, Sonic sidled up beside Shadow, a sly grin on his face as he gently nudged Shadow with his elbow. "So, Shadow, did you find what you were looking for?" he asked teasingly, jerking his head towards Rouge. "I didn't know you came all the way here to rescue your beloved partner!"

Shadow turned cold, murderous eyes at the hedgehog and moved his hand to him as if about to choke the life out of him, only to grab Sonic by the arm and toss roughly him to his left. At that very instant, a stream of bullets fired by a Big Foot shot over the spot where Sonic had just been standing. The blue hero grunted as he got to his feet and glared at Shadow.

"What'd you do that for?" he demanded, rubbing his bruised arm in irritation.

"I was saving you from getting shot."

"Then why'd you throw me so brutally?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shadow lied, turning away from Sonic and charging at the Big Foot which had just taken a shot at them. The sapphire hedgehog frowned and glanced at the other Big Foot, which was slowly trudging over to Shadow as the black hedgehog dealt with the other Big Foot. _Looks like Shadow's gonna need some help,_ noted Sonic, nodding to himself and making his way to Knuckles. As the echidna planted his foot firmly into a soldier's jaw and sent him flying sideways, Sonic came up beside him and caught his attention.

"Knuckles, let's try "that"!" he suggested, jerking his head at the second Big Foot now assaulting Shadow. Knuckles followed Sonic's gaze and nodded in comprehension. Grabbing Sonic by the arm, Knuckles swung the blue hedgehog around in a complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc before releasing his grip to send Sonic soaring into the air.

"Rouge, heads up!" Knuckles called out as Sonic curled into a ball. Rouge looked up from the ground at Sonic, then Shadow, and then back up at Sonic with realization. Spreading her wings, she flapped up quickly to intercept the curled hedgehog as he rose higher. Pulling her leg back, Rouge then swung it forward in a powerful kick aimed at Sonic, redirecting his path and sending him shooting back down at the Earth with blinding speed. The spinning ball flew straight for its target: a Big Foot with its back turned to it. With aid of the additional momentum provided by Rouge's kick, Sonic shot right through the Big Foot's metal shell, burrowing a large hole in its body and causing it to drop to the ground, its pilot knocked out and the machine no longer functioning.

"Alright!" celebrated Knuckles as he punched the final soldier in the stomach.

Sonic rose to his feet, clutching his head in one hand and stumbling. "Man, that kick hurt a lot," he groaned, steadying himself. He looked up as he saw Knuckles run up to him, having finally dealt with all the EMPH soldiers. Sonic grinned triumphantly as he and the echidna stood over the disabled wreckage of the Big Foot. "Did you see that? We totally owned that Big Foot!" Sonic exclaimed gleefully, looking as excited as if he'd just won the lottery. "I took one down like it was nothing!"

Just then, they heard a loud screech of pain from behind them and turned as one to see Shadow pulling his hand out of the shattered viewport of the last Big Foot, red stains covering his white glove. Without a word, Shadow hopped off the Big Foot and walked over to them as the Walker behind him wavered and dropped to the ground. Sonic and Knuckles stared silently at Shadow as he sauntered over to them, completely unharmed from his fight.

Tails landed beside, stun gun in hand as he too stared awestruck at Shadow. He glanced at Sonic and Knuckles, addressing Sonic's earlier comment. "Shadow took down three all by himself. Well, four. Unless you don't count that one that got knocked down by the first Big Foot Shadow hit." He glanced glumly at the Big Foot Sonic had beaten. "We could barely take down one."

Sonic grimaced, crossing his arms across his chest angrily. "Yeah, well, Shadow _is_ The Ultimate Lifeform," he muttered irritably.

"Bastard," added Knuckles helpfully, making Shadow smirk smugly. At that very moment, Rouge landed beside Shadow, bringing everyone's attention to her.

"We've got trouble, incoming," she informed them, pointing behind her. The four Mobians could just make out the forms of several soldiers and Big Foots headed their way. Sonic whistled at the sight.

"Any ideas, guys?"

Being the only one to not have their gaze locked on the oncoming threat, Rouge replied by turning to Knuckles. "Quick, Knuckles. Open the door for us."

Knuckles looked at her in confusion, before following Rouge's blue-green eyes to the door of the storage building. Realizing what the ivory bat had meant, the echidna nodded and moved to the building. He slammed his fists into the metal door, twisted them to get a better grip, and then tore a large hole through the metal. "In!" he ordered as he stepped aside to make way for his comrades.

By now, some of the wounded soldiers were rising to their feet slowly. One of the soldiers realized what was happening.

"They're trying to get the Chaos Emerald!" he shouted to his comrades. "Don't let them get in!" As if their injuries had been magically healed and forgotten, the soldiers aimed their firearms at the five Mobians and prepared to fire. The first soldier's finger had barely tightened around the trigger when a Chaos Spear struck him and his comrades, exploding in a burst of crackling energy and paralyzing them completely. Shadow turned to the others, jerking his head meaningfully at the hole Knuckles had made. Obeying his wordless command, Sonic, Tails, and Rouge leaped through the door while Shadow fired one more paralyzing Chaos Spear at the troops for safe measure before heading for the door.

"The panel," Shadow ordered as he passed Knuckles and went into the building. Knuckles glanced at the control panel beside the door, which the soldiers would be able to use to unlock the door using a security pass. Slamming his fist into the panel to render it useless, Knuckles then grinned and waved at the immobilized troops before dashing into the building and twisting the metal back into position to seal the door shut. They were now locked inside the building, with the EMPH soldiers' only way in now inaccessible.

"That should buy us some time," the scarlet echidna remarked hopefully as he turned to face his comrades. "How long do you think we have?" he asked as he dusted his mitt-like gloves. Sonic shrugged.

"Probably a few seconds before they get one of those Big Foots to blast the door down."

Tails shook his head in disagreement. "No, I don't think they'll do that. Not unless they want to risk bringing this entire place down." He glanced at the door nervously. "Still, I don't think we have much time. We've probably got a few minutes at best before they find a way in."

Knuckles "humphed" just like Shadow before turning to Rouge. "So is there more to this plan of yours than just getting stuck in here?" he asked in annoyance, only to find out that Rouge wasn't paying attention to him, or any of them. She appeared to be looking at something else, and as Knuckles followed her gaze, he spotted the glowing, yellow Chaos Emerald they had come looking for. The Emerald was positioned on a large pedestal on the far side of the room, with the rest of the space between the two ends completely empty.

Sonic gave an exclamation of delight and moved to grab the Emerald, but he had barely taken a step forward when Rouge stuck her arm out to block his path. "Wait," she ordered, bending down on one knee before pulling a gas container out of her jumpsuit. Blinking, Sonic glanced at Shadow, Knuckles, and Tails and silently mouthed the words: "Where was she keeping that?"

Pressing down on the container's nozzle, Rouge fired a stream of translucent gas in the direction of the Emerald. The smoke exposed the trap set to protect the Emerald: a myriad of red security lasers, crisscrossing all over the room from the ceiling to the floor in an unbelievably complicated manner. Sonic whistled in awe and voiced everyone's thoughts out loud: "So anyone know how we're going to get that Emerald?"

Rouge smirked as she straightened up, slipping the container back into her suit. "Leave that to me," she replied slowly and confidently. Spreading her dark wings wide, she lifted off from the ground and flew towards the Emerald, weaving through the lasers effortlessly and with acrobatic grace. In a matter of seconds, she had reached the Emerald, taken it lovingly into her hands, and had then returned to the others. She landed gently before them, without even a bead of sweat running down her head.

"Ta-da!" she cried lazily, brandishing the yellow Emerald before a stunned Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. Shadow watched the three heroes with a faint look of amusement. He had seen enough of Rouge's treasure hunting (or thievery) skills to no longer be stupefied in shock, but Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails had not. The three blinked one by one and closed their gaping mouths.

"Whoa," said Knuckles slowly.

"That was amazing," agreed Tails.

"Baby! Where have you been all my life?" cried Sonic loudly, dropping to his knees and spreading his arms wide in mock desire. Rouge laughed and patted him on the head affectionately.

"Keep trying, hon. I'm way out your league," she stated with a smug grin.

Sonic smirked back and pointed at the onyx hedgehog. "What about him? Are you in his league?" he asked slyly.

He then cried out in pain when Shadow kicked him in shins.

"Careful! I'm a bleeder!" Sonic exclaimed in mock pain.

Gazing up at all of them, the black hedgehog finally spoke for the first time since they'd entered the building. "Now that we've gotten the Emerald," he began, "we should hurry up and find a way to escape before we run into any more trouble." He gestured to the metal door, which was still sealed shut. Knuckles moved to the door and peered through a small gap in the metal.

"I can't tell properly, but it doesn't look like they're trying to get in. I think they're just waiting for us to come out ourselves," he observed, narrowing his eyes and shifting his head to get a better view. "And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are a ton more soldiers and Big Foots now. Even some of those Flying Dog things are out there. In short, we go out, we're totally screwed." He glanced at the others in worry. "What now?"

"Well, if they're waiting for us, then we should stop and come up with a proper plan," suggested Tails. He moved to Rouge and held out a gloved hand to her. "Miss Rouge, if you could give me the Chaos Emerald, I'll look after it."

An odd silence followed Tails' words as three pairs of eyes turned to look at the little fox and the older bat. Rouge was holding the Chaos Emerald to her chest, as if it were a beloved child of hers, her azure eyes mesmerized by the Emeralds brilliant glow, causing her to visibly hesitate. Sonic watched curiously as Rouge glanced from the Emerald to Tails and then back. Knuckles stepped away from the door, his eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist, no doubt preparing himself to fight for the precious stone.

"Miss Rouge?" Tails asked slowly in an anxious tone, watching her carefully through concerned eyes.

"I…" began Rouge slowly, still captivated by the Emerald. The spell was suddenly broken as a warm hand wrapped itself around the Emerald and her hands. Rouge looked up surprise at Shadow's stoic face, his crimson eyes watching her emotionlessly.

"Rouge…" he began in a stern, stiff voice as he removed his hand from hers. Here it was again. Rouge's obsession for jewels getting the better of her and clouding her sound judgment. It was one of the things about his bat ally that severely irked Shadow; he knew that one of these days, Rouge's mania would get not only her, but everyone else she involved in grave danger.

Shadow didn't continue his sentence, for Rouge seemed to have snapped out of her trance. Grinning weakly, she deposited the stone in Tails' hands. Team Sonic seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as Tails slipped the Emerald into the satchel he was carrying. Rouge averted her eyes from the blue hedgehog, the red echidna, and the yellow fox in embarrassment, though as she turned her eyes met Shadow's own crimson ones. The dark hedgehog smirked broadly at the bat, a smug look in his eyes.

"That's some self-control you've got there," he said sarcastically (though not rudely), displaying the first real emotion in his voice for the first time since that moment back at the hangar. Rouge smiled at the comment and playfully slapped the hedgehog on the arm.

"D'AWWW!" cried Sonic in exaggerated affection. "How sweet! I think I'm gonna cry!" Pretending to wipe a nonexistent tear, the sapphire hedgehog laughed at his wit. He then managed to duck just in time as a Chaos Spear flew at his head, missing him by inches and instead hitting the wall right behind him. Shadow growled in disappointment.

Laughing, Sonic straightened up. "Easy there, Shadow! I was only kidding!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Don't know why, but I really hated writing this chapter. Probably because of the vague romantic subtext.<strong>


	6. Chapter 5: The Plot Thickens

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: The Plot Thickens <strong>

"So, now that we've got the Chaos Emerald, any ideas on how to get out of here?" Sonic asked, glancing at each of his partners with arms spread apart. "Because I got nothing."

Tails stroked a finger against his upper lip as he pondered. "Couldn't we just use the Chaos Emerald to warp out of here?" he asked curiously, pulling the Emerald out of his satchel and holding it out to the others. "Using Chaos Control, I mean."

"That's an idea," vouched Sonic, nodding.

Shadow shook his head. "No. One Emerald does not have enough power to transport five of us, let alone two." He looked at the Emerald, then at the others. "One Emerald, one passenger. If we had more…"

The others looked crestfallen. They didn't doubt or question Shadow's words, as he was the most experienced and knowledgeable among them when it came to Chaos Energy. Crossing his arms, Shadow thought for a second, before speaking once more.

"There is, however, something else we could try." Four pairs of eyes returned to him. Shadow gestured to the door, silently referring to the army of soldiers waiting outside. "I can use the Emerald's power to stop the flow of time around us."

Team Sonic glanced at each other in surprise. Rouge, however, snapped her fingers in understanding. "You mean like you used to do back during that Metal Sonic incident?" she offered.

Shadow nodded. "And many other times. However," he looked at them all with a meaningful expression, "the range is quite limited, and the more people I have to stop, as well the more people I _don't_ have to stop, makes this a very draining and risky action. Especially with only one Emerald."

Sonic smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Shadow, we got your back." He flashed his signature thumbs-up and grin at the onyx hedgehog. "Anything happens, we're there for you." Shadow nodded, and Sonic turned to the others. "Let's get going, then!"

Tails stepped forward to hand Shadow the Emerald, while the dark hedgehog lowered his arms and brought his hand out to accept the powerful stone from the two-tailed fox.

Then -

"What the hell is _that_?" a voice cried from the outside the building.

The exchange was halted as a sudden round of loud exclamations erupted from the other side of the door. The entire room was frozen in silence as the five mammals listened intently to the screams of pain and terror, the fear-filled orders of the commanding officers, and the sounds of gunfire issuing from outside. And over it all, came a blood-curdling, animalistic roar.

The five barely had time to register what was happening before the metal door before them was pulled clean off its hinges and thrown aside. As they watched in shock, a massive creature stepped into the building. All of them, even Shadow, looked up in alarm at the beast.

The creature was twenty feet tall, with a heavily muscled, humanoid body. Its powerful arms were longer than its shorter, stubbier legs, yet both ended in the same five-digit claws. The bottom half of the creature's arms and legs were a jet-black coloring, while the rest of its reptilian-skinned form was a dark-red shade. The comically small head, no larger than a human's, was an elongated oval and sported a pair of forward-swept horns, the two blank eyes lifeless and a pale yellow color; Just like its lower arms and legs, the creature's head was also a black coloring. The beast slowly turned its lifeless eyes to look down at the five heroes, its snout of a mouth opening to reveal a row of shark-like teeth and a long, red tongue.

"Wha-what is that?" Tails asked in a terrified squeak. No one answered. Probably because they too were stunned by the creature's appearance.

The beast roared loudly, and before any of the could react, its tongue had shot out its mouth like a frog's and curled around the Chaos Emerald in Tails' hand, snatching it away and pulling it into its mouth.

"No!" Rouge cried as the beast swallowed the Emerald whole. Roaring with delight, the beast dropped its gaze to the Mobians before it and took a step further into the room. Shadow spotted the carnage left behind in its wake: a pile of bodies littering the floor and lying in their own blood, and heaps of smoking, devastated machinery among them. The black hedgehog had just figured out the significance of this scene when Knuckles charged forward, raising his powerful fists and lunging at the beast.

"Give back that Emerald!" he demanded, slamming a fist into the creature's leg with enough force to punch through a foot of steel. To everyone's astonishment, the beast did not seem affected by the Knuckles' attack, nor was there any wound or injury on its leg; in fact, the beast just stared stupidly down at Knuckles.

"What the-?" began Knuckles, before clenching his teeth in anger and unleashing a barrage of devastating punches upon the creature, but to no avail. The creature's skin was undamaged, though it did seem annoyed now. Swinging its leg forward, the beast knocked Knuckles back. The echidna landed hard on the floor beside Tails, who immediately bent down to assist his friend. Sonic frowned and leaped at the creature, curling mid-jump into a ball and Spin-Dashing at its chest. The beast did not even flinch as Sonic simply bounced off its chest without any affect. Landing on the ground, Sonic looked up at the beast in confusion. How strong was this thing?

"You're so pathetic, blue hedgehog."

Sonic turned to see Shadow step forward and raise his hand above his head, bringing swinging down to point at the beast as a bolt of a yellow energy shot from his hand at it. The Chaos Spear flew through the air and collided with beast. Instead of piercing through it, the bolt simply reflected at a 180 degree angle and came flying back at Shadow and Sonic. It shot right between them and struck the wall on the far side of the room, missing them both by inches. Slowly, Shadow and Sonic looked over their shoulders at the Chaos Spear imbedded in the wall. Their bewildered then faces met each other's gaze before turning back to the beast. At the moment, the creature was gazing around the room as if lost and unaware of the five Mobians' presence.

Sonic whistled. "Dang. What's that thing's skin made of, anyway?" Shadow silently scrutinized the beast, asking himself the exact same question. Was it a result from having swallowed the Chaos Emerald? He couldn't sense any Chaos Energy emitting from the beast itself, only from the Emerald it had swallowed. Was it really just that resilient?

Taking his eyes off the apparently uninterested creature, Sonic looked at the others. "So, any ideas on how we're gonna beat this thing?" he posed helplessly.

Shadow rolled his eyes visibly beside him. "Is that all you can say?" he asked in irritation, shaking his head. "Why don't _you_ come up with a plan for once?"

Sonic smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head uncertainly. "Well, the last plan I came up with kinda put us in this situation," he answered lamely, looking embarrassed.

Shadow smirked in amusement. "Yes, you're right about that. This whole predicament is your fault."

"_My _fault?" Sonic repeated, flaring up and glaring at his dark counterpart. He pointed an accusing finger at Shadow. "Listen, buddy, if _you_ hadn't asked us to provide a distraction -."

"I didn't. You suggested it yourself, remember?" Shadow sneered.

Sonic blinked, realizing he was right. Knuckles grinned from his position on the floor. "Ooh, point for Shadow!" he remarked with a laugh.

Sonic quickly overcame his momentary confusion. "Yeah, well, if you didn't need our help, we'd have just barged in here right after beating that first batch of guards, grabbed the Emerald, and bolted before reinforcements arrived! So if anything, the one to blame is you!"

"Oh-hoh! Point for Sonic!" called Knuckles gleefully.

"Excuse me?" growled Shadow, ignoring the echidna. "If you're plan hadn't failed so spectacularly, Rouge and I would've been halfway to Westopolis right now! Next time, think before you act, instead of barging in like the brainless idiot you are!"

"What did you say?"

"Another point for Shadow!"

"That's enough!" Rouge suddenly barked out, putting herself between the two glaring hedgehogs and pushing them apart. "Can't you children leave this for another time? We have an invulnerable monster to deal with, remember?" Shadow and Sonic grimaced and turned away from each other, their arms crossed over their chests.

"Point for Rouge!" Knuckles laughed.

"Shut up, Knuckles," Rouge hissed, glaring at the crimson echidna. She was severely ticked off, not only because everyone but herself and the young fox were acting so childishly, but because the beast they were facing had stolen the Chaos Emerald from her… them.

Knuckles' grin widened as he rose to his feet. "Alright, I'll stop. But I was enjoying seeing Shadow and Sonic making fools out of themselves." He shrugged in obvious disappointment. Shadow narrowed his eyes at the red one.

"May I remind you who was just beaten effortlessly by this creature?" he hissed angrily, jerking his head to the lost beast. "It was a rather embarrassing occurrence, wasn't it?"

"Heh! Says you!" interjected Sonic smugly. "Who was acting all high and mighty before their Chaos Spear epically failed?" Sonic shot at the black hedgehog, defending his friend. Shadow turned his head away in annoyance.

"Point for So-!"

"SHUT UP, KNUCKLES!"

Rouge's roar of fury resulted in the beast blinking and swinging its head to face her. It tilted its head sideways in interest. Apparently, it had finally remembered where it was and who it was facing. With a sudden roar, the beast lunged at the Mobians, its mouth spread wide open and its clawed hands spread wide.

"MOVE!" Sonic ordered as the beast thundered towards them. The five scattered and then launched their counterattacks. Knuckles was the first to act, grabbing hold of the beast's arm as it came flying at him and climbing onto its limb to start pounding it furiously. Meanwhile, Tails zipped over the creature, firing his small yet powerful stun gun at its spine and limbs in an attempt to paralyze it. Rouge flew at the creature and, just like Knuckles, began hammering the creature on the chest with her bone-crushing kicks. Sonic and Shadow weaved around the creature's attacks and Spin-Dashed into it repeatedly. Unfortunately, no matter what the Mobians threw at it, the creature simply shrugged off their attacks like they were nothing. The same could not be said about its own attacks, which were slow and sluggish, yet shockingly powerful.

Three minutes of failed attacking later, Sonic landed, panting, beside an equally winded Tails as they watched the beast swing its massive fists at Knuckles and Shadow. "What is that thing made of?" Tails wondered loudly. "None of our attacks can penetrate its armor!"

Sonic nodded grimly at his best friend's words. "Yeah. And if Shadow's Chaos Spears or Knuckles' strength can't damage it, what can?"

Tails turned to Sonic, a desperate look on his face. "Can't you and Shadow - I don't know - call on some of the Emerald's power to boost your attacks' power?" he asked hopefully.

Sonic stroked his chin uncertainly. "I dunno, Tails. I don't think me or Shadow have ever tried drawing out the Emeralds' power when someone else is using it. Or," he looked up at the red beast, "when someone has swallowed it."

"But it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"I guess…" Sonic suddenly nodded, determination now coursing through his entire body. He looked down at Tails. "I'll give it a try. Cover me for a few seconds, buddy." With that, Sonic closed his eyes and began to concentrate, trying to feel the Chaos Energy he was sure was emanating from the Emerald within the beast. Tails watched him anxiously, hoping this would work.

Then, a large shadow loomed over Sonic and Tails. The young fox looked up in fear as the creature towered over them. Before Tails could warn Sonic or push him out of the way, the creature raised its huge fists to bring them crashing down on the two Mobians. Tails closed his eyes instinctively and trembled, waiting for the blow to hit, but it never came. Opening his eyes, the frightened fox looked up to see Shadow standing on the beast's massive shoulders, his hands gripping its horns firmly and pulling its head back to keep it from attacking.

"Move, you idiots!" he grunted through clenched teeth. Sonic heard this command and opened his eyes to witness the scene in front of him. Before he could say or do anything, Tails grabbed Sonic and pulled him away from the beast.

"Shadow!" Knuckles called out, rushing toward the currently immobilized creature. Leaping into the air, Knuckles slammed his fist into the beast's face while Shadow released his hold and jumped off. As the black hedgehog and red echidna landed on the floor beside each other, they looked up in surprise to see the creature stumbling backwards, clutching its face in one hand and howling in pain.

"That's -!" began Knuckles, glancing at Shadow for clarification. The black hedgehog nodded.

"Aim for its head!" he informed the others, rising to his feet and charging at the beast with Knuckles in tow. Sonic glanced up at the moaning creature and then at Tails, nodding. Tails lifted off into the air with a spin of his two tails while Sonic leaped into the air and Spin-Dashed at the creature's small head. Just as the creature removed its hand from its wounded visage, Sonic collided with it, sending it stumbling back once more with a roar of pain.

"Here!" shouted Tails from his airborne position above the creature. The beast automatically swiveled its black head up to Tails, only to be met with a painful electric shot from Tails' stun gun. Another howl escaped its mouth as it lowered its head into its hand. Before it could react any further, Knuckles had leaped at its head once more, throwing a powerful uppercut at its lowered face that induced a spurt of green blood to come flying out of its mouth. The force of the punch lifted its head up against its will, an unfortunate result for the creature. As soon as its face swung up, a rotating sphere of black and red rammed into its bleeding face, spinning like a saw against the wounded visage before finally pushing the beast back a few more steps. The beast pressed a hand against its bleeding face once more and bellowed angrily.

"Rouge, finish it!" Shadow called as he landed on the floor, glancing up as the ivory bat soared over him and toward the injured creature. One more strike to the face, and the beast should be down for the count. And Rouge's powerful kicks would be able to pull it off. Victory was at hand.

However as Rouge approached the creature, it lowered its hand and peered up at the bat through bloody eyes. And though he could not see it properly, Shadow could have sworn it inexplicably grinned in confidence. No one else seemed to notice, however; not even Rouge. She simply twisted her body in mid-air, aiming her legs at her target and spinning her entire body like a drill. As she shot feet-first at the creature's face, it suddenly raised its right hand and displayed the palm to Rouge.

And at that very moment, the Chaos Emerald the creature had swallowed emerged from under its skin, partially-exposed on its palm for all to see.

_Shit,_ thought Shadow as realization hit him. His body moved forward instinctively.

Disaster struck as Rouge's concentration wavered in mid-attack. The bat's eyes shifted involuntarily from her target to the Chaos Emerald, and that was the opening the beast needed. Out of the corner of her eye, Rouge saw the giant hand come swinging towards her, and knew it was too late for her to dodge.

"You idiot!" scorned a voice at Rouge before someone slammed into her and knocked her out of the creature's range. Hitting the floor hard, Rouge winced from the painful impact and looked up at the creature through dazed and confused vision. Her eyes widened in terror as she saw the ebony hedgehog in the beast's vice-like grip, struggling to break free of its grasp. The beast tightened its grip on Shadow even further, making the black hedgehog scream in pain as he felt his bones begin to shatter. A triumphant roar issued from the creature's mouth as it swung the arm holding Shadow down and slammed the onyx hedgehog viciously against the ground.

"Shadow!" Rouge called out, struggling to get to her feet but failing.

Shadow coughed up a stream of blood from his mouth as he felt practically every bone in his body break from the impact. _Not one of my best ideas,_ he thought, unknowingly mimicking his blue rival's thoughts from earlier. Dazed and in pain, the hedgehog watched through rapidly-blurring eyes as the beast raised its free hand above its head. With another blood-curdling roar, it slammed its hand down on Shadow.

And then everything went black.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Ouch. That's gotta hurt. I hope everyone was able to keep up with the action.<strong>


	7. Chapter 6: Wounded

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedghehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Wounded<strong>

The beast tightened its grip on Shadow even further, making the black hedgehog scream in pain as he felt his bones begin to shatter. A triumphant roar issued from the creature's mouth as it swung the arm holding Shadow down and slammed the onyx hedgehog viciously against the ground.

"Shadow!" Rouge called out, struggling to get to her feet but failing.

Shadow coughed up a stream of blood from his mouth as he felt practically every bone in his body break from the impact. _Not one of my best ideas_, he deplored, unknowingly mimicking his blue rival's thoughts from earlier. Dazed and in pain, the hedgehog watched through rapidly-blurring eyes as the beast raised its free hand above its head. With another blood-curdling roar, it slammed its hand down on Shadow.

And then everything went black.

No. Everything hadn'tgone black; not exactly. Shadow blinked and peered around to find himself floating in a complete darkness, with not floor or ceiling or anything to support him. Swiveling his head, he tried to make sense of what was happening. Everyone, his comrades, the beast, the whole room, they had all just vanished. He couldn't see, hear, or feel anything around him. It was as if he were floating in a limbo of sorts.

_Where am I?_ he wondered confusedly. _Am I dead? What happened?_

Before he could ask himself anything else, he heard a voice call out to him from the darkness.

"Shadow…," the voice drawled. Shadow's eyes widened. He had heard that voice before, but he couldn't remember exactly when or where. All he knew was that the voice felt like it was freezing the very marrow in his bones as it spoke; he felt as if the voice itself was reaching into his soul and slowly squeezing it with a fist.

"Shadow…," the voice repeated, now issuing from behind him. Startled, the hedgehog spun around and caught a glimpse of three glowing, crimson eyes watching him from the gloom. Shadow's expression of shock intensified.

"You're…," he began, staring at the figure as it emerged from the darkness. It was -

And then his eyes flew open.

Blinking, the hedgehog took a moment to realize that he was lying down on a bed and staring up at a tiled ceiling. It dawned on him that he had only been dreaming, but as soon as he'd woken up, the dream vanished from his conscious mind, sinking into the deepest depths of his subconscious. He couldn't remember the dream's contents; only that it had left him with a sense of increased confusion. Groggily, the hedgehog tried to sit up, but his vision immediately swam as a pounding pain flowed through his head and down his body. Grunting, he laid a hand against his head and steadied himself.

"Shadow, you're awake!" piped up a feminine voice from his side. Squinting through slightly blurred vision, the hedgehog could make out the forms of Sonic, Tails, Amy (he realized she was the one who had just spoken), Cream (with her little Chao Cheese), and Rouge. They were all watching him sympathetically from chairs drawn up beside his bed. It took the hedgehog another moment to realize where he was: a hospital ward; the unmistakable smell of sterilization only sought to confirm this discovery. Puzzled, Shadow glanced at each of them in turn, before his eyes dropped to his own body. To his surprise, he found a good majority of his torso to be wrapped in white bandages, with his left arm and right leg secured in a cast, and another patch of bandages covering his head. Lowering his apparently uninjured right arm from his head, Shadow looked up from his injuries at his comrades.

"How're you feeling, Shadow?" Tails asked anxiously. Shadow grunted and tried to get up, but the fox pushed him back down. "Take it easy. You're not completely healed yet."

Deciding that, for once, he would just swallow his pride and accept the fact that he was helpless, Shadow did as he was told and lay back down. "What happened?" he asked slowly, crimson eyes flitting from one face to another.

Sonic smiled. "Well, when that monster tried to, er, grab Rouge, you pushed her out of the wa-."

"I remember that," Shadow snapped. "I'm asking what happened afterwards."

"Oh, well, after the beast slammed its hand onto you, it roared a couple of times and then tried to crush you under its feet." Sonic gestured to himself. "I ran to you and pulled you out of the way before it could squash you, and when we saw how badly you were wounded, we decided to screw the Emerald and get you to safety. Rouge and Tails took you to the nearest hangar and prepped a copter while Knuckles and I kept the beast busy long enough for them to escape."

"Where is Knuckles, anyway?" Shadow asked suddenly, having just noticed the echidna's absence.

"Oh, he's back at Angel Island," Tails answered. "It's been almost a week since you were knocked out, Shadow." Shadow's eyes widened slightly at this surprising piece of news, but didn't press for further details.

"Anyway," said Sonic, continuing his tale, "the monster tried to follow us, but just then EMPH sent in their reinforcements to take it out. They didn't seem to care about us, probably 'cause they saw the beast as a bigger threat, and because it had the Emerald. Anyway, we got you out of the base safely, and brought you back to Emerald Town as fast as we could."

"The doctors got you stable, but they kept going on about how it was a miracle that you survived," Tails added. "We all thought you were dead, to be honest."

"I didn't!" countered Amy proudly from her chair, causing Shadow to flinch slightly as her loud voice blasted into his ears and made his already throbbing head pound even harder. "He is Shadow, after all! He's survived much worse, remember?" Sonic and Tails slowly nodded in agreement, knowing that there was truth in Amy's words. As much as it pained him, even Shadow had to admit that the pink hedgehog was right. He had survived the Ark incident; wounds like these were nothing compared to that. Besides, he was The Ultimate Lifeform. He wasn't that easy to kill.

"What happened to the red creature?" Shadow asked Sonic.

"Well, while we were flying over the base, we spotted the monster completely annihilating all the EMPH forces," Sonic answered. "It was kinda cool now that I think about. Just as we passed by it, it gave a roar and vanished in a flash of yellow light."

Shadow's eyes narrowed. "Chaos Control?"

Sonic shrugged. "Seems like it. It had the Emerald inside it, after all."

Tails turned his attention from Sonic back to Shadow and spoke once more. "The doctors said you should take it easy for a while, rest a little until you're body completely heals. Do you have a place to stay? Where do you live?"

There was a sudden wave of silence in the room as everyone present realized that they had no clue where Shadow lived. Even Rouge, the closest thing Shadow had to a friend, didn't know anything about the hedgehog's home. The black hedgehog was always so distant; he barely told anyone where he was going, what he was doing, or anything personal.

Aware that he had to answer, Shadow closed his eyes and mumbled a few words so fast and so quietly that no one could catch them.

"Sorry, Shadow, could you repeat that?" Sonic asked gently.

After a pause, the black hedgehog repeated his sentence more clearly.

"In a tree."

An awkward pause followed these words.

"You mean like, in a tree house?" Cream asked naively.

"No."

Another awkward pause.

"Oo-kay," Sonic said slowly, scratching his head in an embarrassed manner. "I guess you'll just have to stay with one of us, then." He glanced at the others. "Any volunteers?"

He looked at Rouge and raised his eyebrows at her significantly. The bat caught his gaze and realized immediately what Sonic was asking from her. Before she could say anything, though, Cream bounced up from her seat in excitement and leaned towards the injured Shadow.

"You could stay with us, Mr. Shadow!" the young rabbit offered happily in her adorably (and unbearably) sweet voice, her hands clasped together as if she were begging. "Mama and I would be happy to look after you!"

"Chao!" Cheese added to the statement significantly.

Another silence followed Cream's hospitable remark, one where Shadow simply stared at the cream-colored rabbit in silence, his eyes slightly wide in shock. Behind Cream, the others were exchanging glances of unease. While there was nothing wrong with Cream's offer, none of them thought it a good idea to send Shadow, of all people, to rest at Cream's house. It just didn't seem… right, sending someone as "rough" as Shadow to the house of people as gentle as Cream and Vanilla.

The young rabbit, in all her ignorance and naivety, did not seem to recognize the slightly horrified look on Shadow's face, or that the entire room had been plunged into another uncomfortable silence. Sonic placed a reassuring hand on Cream's shoulder as he spoke up.

"Er, that's alright, Cream. I don't we need to inconvenience you and your Mom," he said with a fatherly grin. "I think it would be best if Shadow stayed with, uh..."

He glanced at the others for support. Amy simply nodded silently to express that she was willing. Sonic shuddered mentally at what Shadow would do to him if he let Amy look after the black hedgehog. Best case scenario was that Sonic would be the one in the hospital bed after Shadow was done with him. Or even a grave. Therefore, Sonic deemed Amy to be a negative for offering Shadow a bed; it was probably worse than letting Cream and Vanilla look after him. That left…

Rouge. Sonic looked at her once more hopefully, begging her silently. He knew Rouge had looked after Shadow plenty of times when no one else could, whether it was when the hedgehog was wounded physically or mentally. She was, after all, Shadow's closest friend (and vice versa). So, it came as a surprise to Sonic when Rouge averted her gaze from Sonic's in silent denial. She had been giving Shadow the same treatment, avoiding the black hedgehog's gaze every time it shifted over her, though it seemed Shadow had yet to notice. Wondering what was going on in the bat's mind, Sonic looked away from her to find the others watching him expectantly. With a feeling of impending doom in his gut, Sonic grinned pleasantly and completed his sentence as if he had never broken off.

"… with us! Shadow can stay with me and Tails."

"What?" exploded the onyx hedgehog.

"Oh. Okay," accepted Cream happily and skipped back to her seat.

Ignoring Shadow's outburst and enraged face, Sonic turned to Tails. "That alright with you, buddy?"

Tails nodded. "I'm fine with it," he replied.

At that very moment, the door opened and a thin, anthropomorphic tree frog walked in, the white lab coat he wore identifying him as a doctor. Behind the doctor came the nurse, a female pigeon with light gray feathers. The green frog smiled at the conscious Shadow, striding towards him with his hands in his pockets and a pleased smile on his wide face.

"It's good to see you awake, Mr. Shadow," he said warmly. "You gave us quite a scare, coming in so fatally wounded. Several broken bones, fractured ribs, and a ton of internal bleeding; I'll be honest, I was shocked when we actually managed to save you. But your friends here tell me it was no surprise, as you're apparently a very unique person with unique traits." His grin widened. "And I'd agree. You're body's physical make-up is both a miracle and a mystery."

The doctor tapped the ID card on his chest. "I'm Dr. Salio Anura, by the way. Your physician." Dr. Anura turned his attention to the screen displaying Shadow's vitals and other internal body conditions. After a few seconds of silent examination, the doctor smiled and turned back to Shadow. "Well, I'm glad to say that everything looks normal to me. Well, on a physical level, at least." He laughed softly. "You're body's healing up nicely, but I wouldn't advise any strenuous physical activities just yet."

"We've already told Shadow everything you told us, Dr. Anura," Tails cut across him, though the young fox's tone implied that he meant no disrespect. Dr. Anura smiled.

"That's good to hear. Then I'm sure you've told him that he has to rest for a few days while his body heals." He looked down at Shadow for a second, before nodding to the nurse. As the pigeon rolled a cart littered with medical equipment beside Shadow's bed, the doctor turned to Shadow's visitors and gestured towards the door. "Now, I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. The nurse and I have to run some tests on Shadow, just to make sure that he's fit and there are are no problems."

Nodding, the five Mobians rose to their feet and, after bidding Shadow goodbye, left the ward. The doctor turned to the nurse and took the stethoscope from her hand (wing?). "Now then, let's get started. Take a deep breath, please…"

The next few minutes passed by with medical exam after medical exam, where it seemed to Shadow that the doctor tested him for practically every disease out there. He half expected to be informed at any moment that he was afflicted with cancer or diabetes. Finally, the frog straightened up and smiled.

"Alright, everything looks good," he restated, scribbling some notes on his clipboard. "All that's left is your arm and leg." He looked up at Shadow's right leg and left leg, both in casts. "We'll leave them on for a little longer, just until your limbs are back to normal. I'd say two weeks or so of rest, then the casts can come off, and you're as good as new!" He peered down at Shadow. "You have a place to stay until then, right?"

Shadow spoke, having only opened his mouth twice so far since his comrades' departure, and only to answer the doctor's test-related question. "Yes," he replied, his voice flat and stern. "I'm going to be staying with one of my… my…" He faltered as he searched around in his mind for a word other than "comrades". Something more like -

"Friends?" Dr. Anura offered helpfully.

That would do for now.

"Yes," answered Shadow tersely, closing his eyes. The doctor smiled at him, his bulbous red eyes twinkling.

"Well then, now that that's settled, I guess I'll just give you the same advice as before. Take it easy, get plenty of rest, and avoid doing anything too laborious." He slipped his clipboard under his arm and walked towards the door. "I'll let your friends know about your condition, and they can come pick you up tomorrow morning," he informed as he opened the door. "Until then, get some sleep. You'll need all the rest you can get." Smiling pleasantly, the frog walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Shadow turned his attention from the departed doctor to the nurse, waiting for her to finish clearing up the equipment used for the tests. When she was done, she left just like the doctor, closing the door behind her and leaving Shadow alone to think. And think is exactly what he did. He thought about his mission to rescue Rouge from EMPH's base and how the Chief had specifically chosen him for the task (Shadow could have sworn there was an ulterior motive behind the man's decision that he hadn't revealed to the hedgehog), about how Sonic and the others had dragged him into that whole Chaos Emerald retrieval issue. But most of all, he thought about that dark red creature they encountered. There had been something about that creature, something familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was so familiar.

His mind then shifted to how the creature had managed to get Rouge to drop her guard and make her vulnerable to a counterattack. Shadow frowned in annoyance as he recalled her momentary weakness, her obsession once again getting the better of her. But still, he was not going to blame Rouge for the state he was in right now, or anyone for that matter (except of course the beast that injured him). It was clear that, had Shadow not taken the hit for her, Rouge would not have survived the assault. He, Shadow, had only survived because he was immortal; or at least as immortal as was possible for him to be. It would perhaps be more correct to say he was highly resilient, but that was a matter for another time. If Rouge, or anyone else, had been struck as Shadow had been, they would not be lying in a hospital bed, but in a graveyard. This thought managed to wash away any feelings of frustration he harbored towards Rouge's actions. Well, some of it, anyway. He was still annoyed at how easily she was swayed by the first pretty rock that was thrust under nose.

Sighing, Shadow turned onto his right side and closed his eyes. The Sun was setting outside, with nighttime approaching fast. "Get some sleep", the doctor had said. Shadow smirked. He was The Ultimate Lifeform; he didn't need to eat, drink, or sleep. The only reason he did such things, no matter how rarely he did, was so that he could know a little of what it was like to be "normal". After all, everyone else seemed to do it, so he figured he'd might as well try it out a few times. Though for some reason, he had yet to see the appeal in such things. Odd, that.

However, even Shadow needed to rest when he was injured. After all, even if he had an accelerated healing of sorts, his body couldn't very well repair itself when he was exerting himself. He may not feel fatigue as much as others, but he still experienced it, despite how rarely that was. As these thoughts and many others flashed through his head, he slowly felt himself slipping into his subconscious.

The ward's door was suddenly opened slowly and carefully, a small shaft of light from the hallway outside flooding into the dark room as an ivory bat stuck her head inside the room.

"Shadow?" Rouge whispered, watching the prone figure of her ally, unable to see his face from her angle. She waited a second to see if Shadow reacted to her call. "Shadow, are you awake?" she repeated, a little more loudly. When the hedgehog did not reply or react, Rouge lowered her head in disappointment and pulled her head back as she closed the door softly.

From the bed, Shadow opened his eyes and slid them to where he knew the door was behind his back. His crimson eyes narrowed as he wondered what that was about.


	8. Chapter 7: Adventures In Shadow Sitting

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Adventures In Shadow-Sitting<strong>

"Well, Shadow, here we are!" Sonic declared as he pushed the door open and spread his arms wide dramatically. "Home sweet home!"

Shadow limped into the house, a crutch under his right arm to support his weight and aid his balance, with Tails entering behind him. He surveyed the inside of the moderately-sized house with an expressionless face. At the moment, they were standing in what appeared to be the sitting room, with the door on the left leading to the kitchen, two doors on the left leading to separate bedrooms, and one door directly across the front door that led to a half-bathroom. Shadow's eyes swooped over walls at the pictures of Sonic and Tails on their adventures, the ones with Sonic and some of his other friends, and the ones with only Sonic on them. Some simple paintings of majestic scenery hung from the walls as well, a type of art which Shadow had heard was one of Sonic's favorites; apparently because the sapphire hedgehog was an avid admirer of nature.

On one wall was a fireplace, whether false or authentic, Shadow did not know. Perched on the mantelpiece above the fireplace were more photo frames, one of them which Shadow recognized to be the one taken sometime before the Black Arms Invasion; it was a shot of Sonic and Shadow with the President at a ceremony to honor the two hedgehogs' efforts in saving the world. Sliding his eyes away from the image, Shadow glanced over at the three furniture pieces to his right (one three-seat couch and two armchairs), with a coffee table in between them. Finally, a large plasma-screen TV was mounted on the wall directly opposite the three-seat sofa.

"Well, what'dya think?" Sonic asked proudly.

Shadow smirked mockingly. "It could use more blood on the walls," he remarked maliciously. "Preferably yours," he concluded, looking at Sonic intensely. The blue hedgehog, unfazed, simply grinned and shrugged his shoulders in a doubtful manner.

"Or we could just use some of yours," he replied sardonically. "People think we're pretty similar, so I doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference."

Shadow growled and limped over to the sofa, flopping down onto it and resting his injured leg on the coffee table while he placed his injured arm on the armrest. Sonic glanced at Tails, who shrugged and went to the kitchen to see if they had anything to eat. Sonic approached Shadow, who was still glowering as he looked around the room. Sonic sighed mentally. At least Shadow seemed to be in a better mood now than he had been when they'd come to fetch him from the hospital earlier that morning.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Earlier...<strong>_

"_Hey, Shadow!" Sonic greeted as he and Tails entered Shadow's ward. "Ready to get going?"_

_Shadow looked up at Sonic with an intense frown stretched across his lips. "No," he replied curtly. Sonic blinked in surprise, and then grinned._

"_Aw come on! Aren't you excited about living with me and Tails?" _

_Shadow scowled in disgust. "I would much rather be subjected to the insufferable sweetness and happiness of that Cream girl than stay with _you_," he shot back angrily. Sonic, far from being put-down, simply laughed in reply._

"_Glad to see that you're so grateful. Now come on, Mr. Grumpy Pants."_

* * *

><p>Maybe, JUST maybe, there was some animosity for Sonic on Shadow's side.<p>

"So, Shadow," began Sonic as he stood in front of his dark counterpart, gaining the black hedgehog's undivided attention. "Tails and I have been talking it over, and we decided that you'll get to sleep in my room, while I take the cou-."

"I'm fine here," Shadow interrupted firmly. Sonic looked taken aback by Shadow's blunt reply. He blinked and looked at onyx hedgehog uncertainly.

"Are you sure?" he asked sympathetically. "Because you know, it's not a problem or anything, it's perfectly alri-."

"I said, I'm _fine_ here," Shadow snapped angrily. Sonic's startled look was slowly replaced by one of annoyance.

"Fine. Whatever suits you, Shadow." He shrugged uncaringly. "I'm not complaining; I get the comfy bed, and you get the sore back."

"Good," replied Shadow.

A sudden grin inexplicably formed on Sonic's mouth. "Good," he replied back.

Shadow's eyes narrowed, enlightened by the reply. "Stop that," he growled.

"Stop what?" asked Sonic innocently.

"What you're doing."

"What I'm doing?"

"Repeating what I say."

"Repeating what you say?"

"_Stop it._"

"Stop what?"

"Come here, you little -!"

As he leaped from his seat at Sonic, Shadow's words were interrupted as he tripped on the carpet and landed face-first on the ground. Grunting, the black hedgehog looked up from the ground at the blue hedgehog before him, who was fighting back laughter at the sight of Shadow's stumble.

"Why you -!"

Just then, Tails poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Hey, is everything alright in there?" he asked in concern, having vaguely heard Sonic and Shadow's "argument". The young fox noticed the black hedgehog lying on the floor. "What happened to Shadow?" he asked in the same tone.

Sonic grinned, still trying to hold back his laughter. "Oh, don't worry, Tails," the blue hedgehog answered calmly. "Shadow just fell out of his seat, that's all. Come on, buddy, I'll help you up."

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Next Day…<em>**

"Stop struggling, Shadow!"

"No! Let go of me, Sonic!"

"Just let go!"

"No!"

"Come _on_, Shadow! You _have_ to take a bath!"

These words came out in a pleading tone as Sonic tugged at Shadow's leg left, trying to drag him into the bathroom in the former's bedroom. Shadow was doing all he could to resist, having clasped his uninjured hand tightly around the bathroom door's handle. Sonic pulled on Shadow's undamaged limb once more, but to no avail; Shadow's grip was too strong.

"Shadow! Just. Let. Go!" The sapphire hedgehog pulled with each fragmented word, but Shadow simply growled in defiance.

"I said _no_! I refuse to let _you _of all people give _me_ a bath!" he snapped angrily, trying to free his leg from Sonic's hold. "Now unhand me, hedgehog!"

Sonic frowned at Shadow. "Alright, Shadow, if you're gonna be like this," he began stubbornly, "then I'm gonna have to take drastic measure." Removing one hand from Shadow's leg, Sonic smacked Shadow's injured leg with it. The action was hard enough that Shadow could feel the action through his thick cast and the waterproof cast liner wrapped tightly around it (Sonic had to ensure Shadow's casts didn't get wet during the bath, after all), but gently enough to avoid causing any damage.

But the slap had its effect. With a yelp of pain, Shadow involuntarily released his hold on the doorknob and dropped to the floor as Sonic dragged him into the bathroom.

"NOOOOOO!" Shadow cried dramatically, clawing at the floor as if Sonic were dragging him into the pits of Hell. Sonic rolled his eyes and, panting, lifted a struggling and flailing Shadow off the ground and into the filled bathtub.

"Here we go!" he panted, sliding the black hedgehog into the soapy water. He knelt down, panting from the effort and wiping the sweat from his brow. "Whew! Thanks for being so cooperative," he said sarcastically in an exhausted voice. Grabbing a brush, Sonic began scrubbing Shadow's head with it, as the onyx hedgehog sat in the bathtub with a sour look on his face.

"This is embarrassing," he finally muttered in anger.

Sonic sighed as he proceeded to scrub Shadow's back. "Hey, dude, I'm not exactly thrilled about this either," he concurred.

Shadow shot a murderous glance at the blue hero. "Neither of us would be in this situation if you hadn't spilt all your food on me!" he barked.

Sonic's eyes widened hurtfully. "I told you, it was an accident!" he cried apologetically. "I tripped on the carpet! Lift your arm, please." Shadow complied, lifting his arm up and allowing Sonic to clean under it.

Outside, on Sonic's bed, Tails sighed and looked back down at his magazine. The words "Tech Today" were printed in bold letters across the cover, with the slogan "It's all about technology, today!" in a smaller font. Tails turned a page in the magazine, every now and then glancing up at the living room to make sure no one was there. Sonic had told him to keep an eye out for any visitors and to warn him of their arrival. He explained how it was absolutely necessary that no one see him giving Shadow a bath. Something about how it was weird for two guys to be in the same bathroom at once, or for one of said guys to be giving the other a bath. Tails didn't really understand that, but he didn't ask, simply doing what his friend requested him to.

"Sonic, what is that?" Shadow's raised voice suddenly asked from the bathroom.

"What, this? It's shampoo," Sonic answered plainly. "Essence of vanilla."

There was a sudden silence in the bathroom.

"What? I want my quills to smell nice," Sonic stated defensively.

"Don't you come near with that stuff, Sonic!"

"Shadow…"

"I mean it! I refuse to walk around smelling like _vanilla_!"

Sonic chuckled evilly. "Well, since you can't exactly walk, I guess it's a good thing that you'll be _sitting_ around smelling like vanilla."

"Stay away from me, Sonic!"

"C'mon, Shadow, stop being such a baby -."

"Let go of me -!"

"Stop squirming!"

"I said let go of - GAAAH!"

Tails looked up from his magazine, startled by Shadow's outburst. Before he could jump out of the bed and hurry into the bathroom, Shadow spoke up once more.

"My eye! Gah! You did that on purpose!"

"I told you to stop squirming! It's not my fault the shampoo landed in your eye!"

"You are so lucky I can't see right now!"

Tails sighed once more and slumped back onto the bed. It was going to be a _long_ day…

* * *

><p><strong><em>Three Days Later…<em>**

It had taken some time, and a great deal of patience on his part, but Shadow had grown used to living in Sonic and Tails' house, as well as sleeping on the couch. Well, not actually sleeping, more like staring blankly at the wall in front of him all night until the Sun came up the next morning. Still, it beat lying in a hospital ward all day; or lounging on a tree branch. At least now when he got up, he didn't have splinters in his backside.

As had been the scene since his arrival, Shadow was sitting on the sofa, leg propped up against the table, arm resting on the armrest, while he lazily surfed through the channels on Sonic's TV. His mood was terrible owning to the lack of entertaining programs to watch. That blasted blue hedgehog was a world-renowned hero, yet he didn't have the sense to install cable? Truly despicable. Shadow noted to himself that, when Sonic got back from wherever he had gone off for a run, he would have a word with him about the lack of viewing options on his television. Or he could ask Tails, assuming the fox got back from the grocery store before Sonic.

At that very moment, the front door flew open and Sonic rushed inside, slamming the door shut behind him and pressing his back against it to keep it closed. Panting, the cobalt blue hedgehog turned terrified eyes to a puzzled Shadow and mouthed the words "I'm not here!", before dashing into the broom closet and closing the door behind him as well. Confused, Shadow glanced out of the window behind him and spotted a bright pink dot approaching the house. With a sense of foreboding, Shadow lowered his head and resumed his lounging on the couch. Switching the TV off, he closed his eyes and counted silently in his head.

Three.

Two.

One.

"SOOONIIICCC!" came the ear-splitting wail from outside. The door flew open as the pink hedgehog Amy skipped in with a delighted smile on her muzzle. "Oh, Sooniic~!" she called in a sing-song voice, glancing around the room eagerly. "Where are you?"

She stopped when she spotted Shadow on the couch, green eyes coming to a halt on the jet-black mammal. "Oh, hey, Shadow!" she greeted jovially, moving closer to the hedgehog who, despite the fact that his eyes were closed, she was positive was awake. "Have you seen Sonic anywhere, Shadow?"

The onyx hedgehog opened his eyes and slowly looked up at the glowing hedgehog, dressed in her bright red, one-piece skirt and red-and-white boots. Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, the ever-optimistic, the sweet Amy Rose. Shadow never paid much attention to her since the Space Colony ARK incident, when the Biolizard sought to ram the space station in the Earth and exact the revenge Professor Gerald Robotnik had sought to achieve. It was this girl who had convinced Shadow that Maria would not have wanted the Earth and its inhabitants destroyed, not even after all they had done to her, Shadow, and everyone aboard the ARK over fifty years ago. He was grateful to her for helping him see the error of his ways.

But that still didn't mean he found her presence enjoyable.

To fair, though, Shadow found everyone's presence irritating, to different extents. Shadow was well-aware that Sonic also found Amy's constant attempts to gain the blue hedgehog's attention to be highly tiresome, but he was also aware that said hedgehog was not as irritated by Amy's antics as he made it seem. Yet, it would be cruel of Shadow to make Sonic suffer by telling Amy where he was hiding. And though Shadow had many bad traits, he was not sadistic. He would not willingly make any person go through torture they did not deserve.

"He's hiding in that broom cupboard," Shadow answered bluntly, pointing it out to Amy.

Unless that person was Sonic, of course.

Amy beamed and skipped over to the door, yanking it open forcibly to reveal Sonic sitting in a bucket, trying, and failing, to hide himself behind a mop. The sapphire hedgehog yelped in surprise when the door flew open as Amy looked down at him.

"Hello, Sonic," said Amy sweetly. Sonic visibly trembled.

"Oh, h-hi, Amy," he responded weakly. He shot a glance at Shadow that said "What the hell, man?". Shadow simply shrugged innocently.

"So, Sonic," Amy began in an attempt at naivety, "what'cha doing?

Sonic blinked and looked away from Shadow to Amy. He grinned weakly. "Well, uh, I'm, uh…"

And he shot past Amy and out of the house in a nanosecond.

"Sonic! Come back here!" Amy cried in irritation, running towards the front door.

Shadow coughed surreptitiously. "You know, I could lend you my Air Shoes to catch Sonic," he interrupted, catching Amy's attention as he gestured to his black, red, and white shoes. Amy's eyes brightened.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

Shadow looked at her steadily. "No."

Amy frowned at Shadow's cruel joke as he turned his face away from her, before her own face suddenly brightened. An idea had suddenly come to her.

Grinning mischievously, she reached into her purse and pulled out a glittering, pink marker. Without warning, she lunged at Shadow, holding him down with one hand while she flicked off the cap of the marker with her thumb. Before Shadow could react, Amy had lowered the marker and begun stroking it across the cast on his leg.

The black hedgehog realized what she was doing and tried to free himself from her vice-like grip; but fortunately for Amy, his injuries made him weak and unable to move too much without experiencing pain. That, and the fact that Amy had pinned Shadow's free arm and was holding it behind his head. Therefore, Shadow could do nothing as Amy finished what she was doing, eventually letting go off Shadow and stepping back to admire her work. Shadow glanced down at his cast, at Amy's handiwork.

Written in flowing, curly handwriting, with an abundance of hearts around them, were the glittering, bright pink words:

_Get well soon, Shadow!_

_Love,_

_Amy Rose _

Shadow stared down in horror at his desecrated cast, speechless and frozen as Amy laughed and bounced out of the house with a cheerful goodbye.

It was a full minute after Amy had left that Shadow finally moved, his eyes alight in flames and his mouth opening in a cry of rage. Furious, he slammed his hands against the sofa. A moment later, he howled loudly as pain shot up his damaged left arm. Resisting the urge to bang his body against something else, and subsequently injure his damaged body even further, Shadow slumped back onto the sofa, fuming, trying his utmost to keep his eyes away from the cast on his foot. He had never felt this violated before.

At that very moment, the front door opened and Tails walked in, his hands laden with plastic bags.

"I'm back," he announced, dropping the bags onto the floor with a groan. The young fox then turned to Shadow. "So Sonic's not back ye - Shadow, what happened to your cast?"

Tails was staring in shock at the pink message on Shadow's cast. Shadow threw him a deadly glare, which the young fox interpreted as meaning he did not wish to discuss the matter. Grabbing the bags quickly, the slightly frightened fox hurried into the kitchen, leaving Shadow to stare at his cast in obvious distaste.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Two Days Later…<em>**

Shadow had recovered from Amy's violation of his pride, though Sonic's reaction at the sight of Shadow's cast had not helped. Upon seeing Amy's handiwork the blue hedgehog had dropped to the ground, rolling on the floor laughing as Shadow glowered at him. It was only when a Chaos Spear landed a centimeter beside Sonic's face that the blue hero stopped mocking Shadow.

At the moment, Shadow was sitting on his couch (completely unexpected, right?), reading a book Sonic had lent him, titled _Oliver Twist_. Say what you wanted about Sonic, but the guy apparently had a great collection of books. This came as a surprise to Shadow, who had not expected his rival to be an enthusiastic reader; he wasn't even aware Sonic could read. Guess he didn't know him that well after all.

Anyway, as Shadow was engrossed in his book, Sonic appeared from his room, humming quietly as he headed to the kitchen. The towel wrapped around his lower body and the water still dripping from his fur and quills indicated that he had just finished showering. As Sonic passed in front of Shadow humming a tune, Shadow looked up and froze, staring at him.

"Sonic, why are you wearing a towel?" he asked suddenly, causing Sonic to stop in his tracks and look at the black hedgehog in confusion.

"What?" he asked in a tone that matched his facial expression.

"Why are you wearing a towel?" Shadow repeated in equal confusion, lowering his book.

Sonic blinked. "Duh!" he replied, rolling his eyes and spreading his arms apart as if to make a point. "Because I don't want anyone to see me naked!"

Silence.

Sonic and Shadow stared at each other, neither speaking, their eyes wide with a stupefied expression on both their faces.

"Oh my God," Sonic said slowly, finally speaking after a minute of silence. He looked away from Shadow and down at his towel, an expression of utter shock plastered on his face. Shadow looked away from Sonic and at the wall to his left, the same expression etched onto his own face.

"I never realized…," he said in astonishment.

Right on cue, Tails walked into the room.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" he asked amiably, stopping when he noticed the two silent and stunned hedgehogs. Sonic spotted his friend and lunged at him, grabbing the fox by the shoulders and looking down at him with bulging eyes.

"Tails, quickly!" he began, looking slightly deranged. Tails looked taken aback at the way Sonic was acting.

"Sonic, what's wro -?"

"Tails, be honest with me: Have you ever noticed that none of us wear _pants_?" Sonic demanded, speaking slowly and carefully as he watched Tails.

Tails blinked in surprise and nodded his head. "Yeah, I noticed," he responded matter-of-factly, still puzzled. Sonic let go f Tails and grabbed his head in horror, staring blankly into space.

"Oh. My. God," he repeated in horrified disbelief. "We all walk around in public, _naked_."

Shadow turned an astounded face to Sonic. "That would explain why all the women keep their eyes fixed firmly on our faces when they talk to us," he observed in realization.

Sonic released his head and slowly walked over to his room, swaying sideways as if drunk.

"If you guys will excuse me," he stated, disappearing into his room, "I need to go have a mental breakdown."

He shut the door behind him, leaving an equally horrified Shadow and a still dumbfounded Tails behind.

"What just happened?" Tails asked in wonder.

"You'll understand when you're older," Shadow answered, shuddering.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: One word: Filler.<strong>

**Seriously though, how come none of the male characters in this series wear clothes? They'll wear shoes when they have no toes, but no pants? Disturbing. This fact alone should make Sonic exclusive to +18 year-olds.**


	9. Chapter 8: A Change In Scenery

**Author's Note: Warning! Some randomness in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: A Change In Scenery<strong>

"You okay, Shadow?" Sonic asked, flopping down on the armchair next to a brooding and highly irritable Shadow. Over a week and a half had passed since Sonic and Tails had brought Shadow to their house, and lately he had been in a very tense mood, snapping at the simplest of things for no reason.

"Piss off," Shadow snapped.

Just like now.

Sonic creased his eyebrows as he examined Shadow. "You know what I think?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't have to. You're going to tell me anyway," Shadow interrupted grouchily. Sonic ignored him.

"I think what you need is a change of scenery! You've been cooped up here way too long. I'd be going insane right now, too." He stroked his chin as he contemplated his words. He then snapped his fingers. "I know! How's about I take you to the park, or the mall? You could use the exercise."

Shadow scowled. "I would rather re-live through the entire Black Arms Invasion than go somewhere with you," he barked at the blue hedgehog. Sonic scratched the back of his head.

"What about with Rouge?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes. He may be an antisocial, but he was in the loop enough to know that going to the mall with a woman was equivalent to hell for a man.

"Getting amnesia again," he answered bluntly.

"Amy?" Sonic asked hopefully.

"Maria's. Death."

Sonic looked taken aback by the magnitude of Shadow's stubbornness. He then sighed. "You have to pick one of us," he stated.

Shadow frowned and thought it over. That pink hedgehog was out of the question immediately, not after what she had done to Shadow's cast (there was pink writing on it! PINK!). Besides, while Sonic's cheerful demeanor was bearable to an extent, Amy's was too much; he didn't want to explode from too much exposure to happiness. Yes, he'd seen it happen to other people before. Honest.

As for Rouge, well... While Shadow did not have a problem with being in the company of his "best-friend", doing anything remotely social with her, particularly going to the mall, was a major "no no". If that bat could go crazy over a bunch of shiny rocks, it was a safe bet that she would act similarly if she caught sight of a - of a - of a lipstick she liked (Yes, Shadow had a very limited amount of knowledge when it came to women's preferences). Rouge might make him go all Chaos Control or something, and all for a pair of shoes!

It seemed as if, in the end, Shadow had no choice. For the sake of his sanity (and pride), he would have to let Sonic take him somewhere. He and Tails were already looking after him (which was embarrassing enough), so it wouldn't get any worse.

Shadow sighed in annoyance. "Fine, I'll go with you," he replied in a defeated tone, pouting.

Sonic seemed rather surprised that he had managed to convince Shadow so easily (and by easy, he meant he didn't have to dodge at least two Chaos Spears this time). Smiling in relief, Sonic turned to inform Tails of his plans with Shadow when he stopped all of a sudden. His eyes slowly turned back to Shadow. The black hedgehog looked up to see a cheeky grin forming on Sonic's face. Shadow felt a wave of fear overcome him. He knew the blue hedgehog was planning something.

Sonic smacked his head against his head, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, snap! I just remembered, Shadow! I promised Tails I'd help him install some new upgrades on the Tornado today. So, I can't really take you anywhere." He made a face of disappointment, though the mischievous glint in his green eyes ruined it. Sonic walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver. "I guess I'll just have to ask Rouge to take you."

His façade of displeasure vanishing as quickly as it appeared, Sonic grinned at a silent and glaring Shadow as he dialed the number and waited.

* * *

><p>Back in her well-furnished apartment, Rouge's concentration was captivated by the magazine she was reading, reclining on her couch with her legs up and sipping a glass of orange juice. Being a woman of extravagant tastes, Rouge's apartment was one of the best available, loaded with expensive furniture and the latest of utilities. As a reward for her outstanding work with the organization, GUN had offered to pay Rouge's rent: a startling $4000 per month. They had, however, refused to pay Rouge's utility bills, being fully-aware that Rouge had a tendency to "over-indulge" in comfort. So, in exchange for a hotel she normally would not have been able to afford (not legally, anyway), she had to pay her own electric bills, gas bills, cable bills, air conditioning bills, etc. Too bad the sum total of those bills was nearly equal to her apartment's rent (give or take a few hundred dollars).<p>

The sudden ringing of the phone pulled Rouge away from her magazine. Sighing and wondering who could be calling her, she set the magazine down and moved to the phone. Picking up the cordless, she placed it against her ear.

"Rouge the Bat speaking."

"Yeah, hey, Rouge, it's Sonic." Rouge titled her head in curiosity. Why on Earth was Sonic calling _her_? It wasn't as if he came to her to solve any of his problems, whether personal or global. They were friends, yes, but not close friends.

"Sonic? And what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?" she asked in mock awe. Sonic laughed on the other end.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, it's Shadow."

Rouge paused for a millisecond. "Shadow?" she repeated, the cheerfulness in her voice disappearing. She sounded concerned now. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh nothing. Aside from all the broken bones and the attitude problem, he's fine. But anyway, I was wondering if you had any plans for today. Like for example, are you planning on going to the mall?"

"The mall? Yeah, I am. Why?"

"Well, I've got a favor to ask you, Rouge."

"A favor?"

"Would you mind taking Shadow to the mall as well?"

Rouge did not answer, whether from stunned disbelief or horror, it was uncertain. All was clear was that she was taken aback by Sonic's request.

"Rouge? You still there?"

She blinked, coming back to reality. She forced a grin back to her face, forgetting that Sonic couldn't see her anyway.

"Take Shadow to the mall?" she repeated, sounding amazed at Sonic's request. "Why do you need me to do that?"

"Uh, well… Because Shadow requested it himself!"

"What?" came the faint cry from Sonic's end, followed by a banging sound and a hiss of pain from Shadow. Rouge raised an eyebrow, but pretended she hadn't heard that, or caught Sonic's obvious lie.

"Sure, I'll take him there," she agreed.

"Awesome," replied Sonic. He suddenly lowered his voice, and Rouge knew that he was looking at Shadow with malevolence. "Oh, and, why don't you ask Amy if she wants to join you guys?"

"WHAT?"

Once again, Rouge played along, pretending she hadn't heard Shadow's outburst. "You want us to keep Amy occupied and away from you?" she offered to the hedgehog. Sonic laughed.

"Uh, yeah, sure. That's the reason."

"Heheh. Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Cool. I'll make sure Shadow's all cleaned up for his date, then. Ouch! Not the face, Shadow, not the face!"

Rouge laughed and hung up the phone as the call was abruptly ended. Immediately, though, her jovial expression was replaced by one of worry and regret. Hanging her head slightly, she trudged into her room to get ready.

* * *

><p>"I despise you," Shadow hissed venomously as Sonic placed the handset back on its stand. The blue hedgehog turned away from the telephone, ignoring the Chaos Spear imbedded in the wall above it, and grinned as if he had just won first prize in the Olympics.<p>

"I know," he replied cheekily. "Great, isn't it?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thirty minutes later…<strong>_

The door bell rang, and a moment later Tails opened it to reveal Rouge standing on the threshold, dressed not in her standard black and pink jumpsuit, but in a more casual wear befitting a leisurely trip to the mall: a white T-shirt and a black, sleeveless jacket on top, with a matching pair of black pants. Oddly, enough, she was still wearing her pink and white boots, which (in Shadow's opinion) did not seem very fashionable. Tails greeted Rouge and stepped back to let her in. Shadow looked up from his brooding at Rouge, giving her an uninterested nod of acknowledgement. Right on cue, Sonic appeared in the room, acting as if he were the host of some popular game show.

"Welcome, Rouge, to our humble abode!" he announced loudly, waving his hands proudly at the room. Rouge glanced around, wondering if she should tell Sonic that it was pathetic compared to her "abode", but she decided that would be far too tactless of her. Instead, she gave a compliment that did not mean much, before turning to the frowning black hedgehog.

"Ready to go, Shadow?" Rouge asked politely.

"No," he replied sternly, not looking at her. Rouge was taken aback by his harsh tone.

Sonic pushed Shadow's crutch into his lap and pulled him off the seat. "Oh, he's just kidding," Sonic reassured Rouge, pushing them both to the front door. "Now have fun you two!"

Rouge and Shadow looked at the overly-enthusiastic hedgehog in confusion, before glancing at each other. Rouge shrugged and led the way down the path to the street, with Shadow limping behind her, still grumbling under his breath. In front of the house was Rouge's mode of transportation: an indigo, two-seater Corvette Convertible. Rouge hopped into the driver's seat and gestured to Shadow to take the passenger's seat. Shadow glanced down at Rouge's car, examining it with raised eyebrows. The handles, hubcaps, steering wheel, even the gear shaft's top, they were all heart-shaped and a shiny pink shade. The entire vehicle's paint coating glittered like some kind of gemstone, making Shadow's eyes sting slightly from looking at it too long.

"Coming?" Rouge asked when Shadow did not get in the car.

The black hedgehog smirked in amusement. "I see you have a penchant for hearts and glitter, Rouge," he remarked maliciously. Rouge smirked back at him.

"Judging from your cast, so do you," she countered, indicating the cast on Shadow's right leg. The onyx hedgehog grimaced in annoyance as he hobbled over to the passenger seat of the car and slipped inside beside Rouge. Once the ivory bat had helped him with seatbelt (an awkward moment since Rouge had to make sure not to hit Shadow's still delicate arm), she turned on the ignition.

"Be back before nightfall, kids!" Sonic called out from the threshold, waving goodbye as the car drove away down the street and around a corner. Smiling triumphantly, Sonic stepped back into the house and collapsed on the couch that Shadow had been occupying. He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back, pleased with himself.

"Well, that went better than expected," he noted delightedly, picking up the remote. He felt extremely relaxed right now, probably because he wouldn't have to deal with Shadow's bad mood for the rest of the day. With this satisfying thought in his mind, he switched the TV on…

… To a recorded performance of _Live and Learn _by Crush 40.

"Aw yeah!" Sonic shouted excitedly, leaping off the couch and doing the air guitar to the guitar solo. "I love this song!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>_

"So, Shadow, how're your injuries now?" Rouge asked uncertainly while driving, trying to break the tense silence that had been present for the last ten minutes.

"Painful," he replied shortly, looking out the window at the buildings flashing by and the pedestrians on the sidewalk. Rouge took this as a sign that Shadow was not in the conversing mood right now, so the silence continued. Thankfully, they reached the mall a minute later, where they got out of the car to find a bright pink hedgehog scurrying over to them.

"Rouge! Shadow! There you guys are!" she exclaimed, coming to stop directly in front of them. "I felt like I was too early." She glanced at Shadow. "How're you feeling, Shadow?" she asked sympathetically.

"Ecstatic," Shadow replied sarcastically, not looking at either of the females. Amy turned a questioning gaze to Rouge, who shrugged unknowingly. Clearing her throat, Amy gestured to the vast building behind her: the Emerald Town Mall.

"Shall we get going?" she asked eagerly. "I hear there's a sale at _The Gap _and _Calvin Klein_'s. We should check that out."

Rouge's smiled at the pink hedgehog. "Yeah, that sounds good. I need to get a new pair of jeans."

The two girls' conversation immediately shifted to purchases as they devised a shopping plan that would make the greatest of strategists look like brainless amateurs. Shadow watched in disgust as the two females giggled and twittered before him, so immersed in their conversation that they were completely ignoring his presence. A second later, the hedgehog's crimson eyes brightened as he realized the significance of this, the opportunity it presented. Quietly, making sure that neither of them noticed him, Shadow turned around and began limping away from them, trying to get away from the two women. As long as he stayed quiet, he could escape without either of them noticing his -.

"Shadow? Where are you going?" Amy asked, spotting the departing hedgehog over Rouge's shoulder. Shadow froze as both women stared at the back of his head.

Damn it.

"Nowhere," he mumbled in answer, swiveling around and returning to Rouge and Amy's side.

"Well, let's get going, then!" Amy cried, grabbing Shadow's hand and pulling him into the mall, with a laughing Rouge right behind them.

_I despise you so much, Sonic,_ Shadow growled in his mind as he was pulled through the revolving doors.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <em>More <em>filler? What is this, Naruto?  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 9: Girls' Day Out

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Girls' Day Out<strong>

Shopping malls. Whoever invented them was a sick, twisted man with a horrid personality, in Shadow's opinion. Well, maybe that was an overreaction. Now that Shadow reconsidered, it wasn't so much the mall itself that irked him; it was the fact that there were always people there. Always. No matter where the mall was located, it was always packed with greedy, material-obsessed consumers. And the stores! Those swindling shopkeepers charged far too much for half the items on sale, and most of them were either of poor quality, or completely unnecessary in one's life!

Shadow hated going to the mall.

"So Shadow, wanna go anywhere specifically first?" Rouge asked the glowering hedgehog.

"No."

"_Nike_?"

"No."

"_Virgin Megastore_?"

"No."

"_Toys "R" Us_?"

Shadow stared at the pink hedgehog as if he could not believe she had actually asked him that. Which he couldn't.

Amy shrugged at him. "Hey, for all we know you're a toy enthusiast," she remarked innocently.

"Well, since Shadow isn't picking, I say we go wherever we want first, Amy," Rouge suggested, glancing around the vast building's interior at the many shops. She pointed to a store selling women's shoes. "How 'bout that one?"

Amy followed her finger and nodded. The two girls marched off to the store, with Rouge literally dragging a grumbling Shadow by the arm into the shop. Sitting down on a bench and mentally declaring it to be his now, Shadow simply glared at everyone and everything in the shop, while beside him Amy and Rouge tried on different shoes and heels and other forms of footwear. A woman slumped down on the bench beside the onyx hedgehog to try on a pair of high heels, and immediately ran off as Shadow hissed at her angrily.

_My seat,_ he thought childishly, trying to spread out on the red-cushioned seat as much as he could while he waited for Rouge and Amy to pick a shoe they liked.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

_Oh, for the love of God!_ exclaimed an exasperated Shadow in his mind, glancing over at Rouge and Amy for the hundredth time. _How long does it take to find a bloody shoe that you like? What are they going to do, try every single shoe in this shop?_

That was exactly what they appeared to be doing, judging from the piles of footwear and boxes scattered around them. He resisted the urge chuck a sneaker at Rouge and demand that they leave, but he had a feeling that would be considered rude. Right?

After a grueling forty minutes of searching and evaluating, Rouge and Amy left the store with a seething Shadow in tow. _They didn't even _buy_ anything!_ he raged, feeling like banging his head against the nearest wall in frustration. _Why waste so much time going through every shoe, if they weren't going to buy anything?_

From there, they hit a clothes shop, where the girls took it in turns to try different outfits and ask for an opinion. An uninterested Shadow seemed to have become a judge, required to voice his opinion of the clothes they picked. Despite the fact that the only response they received was from him was a half-hearted shrug or a frown, the girls seemed to take Shadow's judgment into account. After over an hour in the same store, they stood in front of the trial room where Shadow was seated, debating over which top/bottom they should pick and which they should leave behind, what would go well with what and when it would be suitable to wear. Behind them, Shadow was doing all he could to not shout out "Just pick something already!", but again, he kept his mouth shut; instead, he glared at a pink sweater to his left, as if the jersey had done him personal wrong.

At last, the two girls picked out three outfits apiece. Once they were out, they immediately dragged Shadow to a jewelry store, where Rouge spent twenty minutes ogling over the expensive jewels on display while at the same time giving Amy a detailed explanation of each stone's properties and origins, as well as about other precious stones out there in the world. Soon, she was narrating some of her treasure hunting tales to the awed fuchsia hedgehog, who listened intently to Rouge's words. They talked and talked and talked, practically forgetting Shadow where he stood beside them, as if he were nothing more than a - wait for it - shadow.

When they finally remembered that Shadow was there, they apologized in embarrassment and continued their shopping spree. The then entered a cosmetics shop, and as soon as he entered the store, Shadow felt every single shred of his masculinity howl in protest. Shuddering at the sight of all the hair and skin products, make-up, and other items which women bought to look "prettier", Shadow surreptitiously slipped out of the shop and sat down on a wooden bench outside it, in a position where Rouge and Amy would be able to see him through the entrance. Like hell he was going to spend half an hour in a women's cosmetic shop surrounded by nothing but adolescent girls and fully-grown women. That would not help in maintaining his macho quotient.

Sighing, Shadow set his crutch on the bench beside him and closed his eyes, wondering if this trip counted as a "strenuous activity". True, he had only been sitting since their arrival in the shopping mall, but the mental experience was greater than the physical one. He certainly felt like he would damage his body even further at the end of the day, most likely by finally snapping and slamming his head repeatedly against a wall in frustration.

"Are you okay, Mister?" a young voice asked beside him. Shadow opened his eyes and glanced down to see a small boy standing in front of him, eating a bar of chocolate. The black hedgehog did not reply, instead glancing away from the child over the balcony behind him (he was on the first floor at the moment). The innocent boy did not seem to realize that Shadow was ignoring him (or trying), for he simply stood his ground, peering up at the hedgehog curiously. After a minute, Shadow began to feel uncomfortable at the child's unfaltering gaze, and began wondering how best to get rid of the boy without doing anything "illegal".

His thoughts were interrupted as the small child broke a piece of his chocolate bar and handed one half to Shadow. Shadow looked down at it in confusion and surprise, and without thinking he accepted it. The boy watched Shadow with an expectant smile, before the onyx hedgehog realized that he was waiting for him to eat the chocolate. Deciding not to insult the little boy's kind gesture by telling him that he did not have to eat (or that he did not enjoy chocolate that much), Shadow took a bite of the bar to please the boy. It worked. The little boy seemed delighted that Shadow had accepted his act of kindness.

Just then, the boy's mother showed up, scolding him for wandering off. With a smile at Shadow, she led the boy away from the black hedgehog. As Shadow finished the chocolate bar, he heard the boy say loudly: "I gave him my chocolate because he looked sad, Mommy!"

Shadow looked up at the retreating figures of the boy and his mother, then sighed. At that very moment, Rouge and Amy exited the cosmetics shop, their hands laden with even more bags than before.

"Shadow! There you are!" Rouge called in relief.

"We thought you'd gotten lost or something," Amy stated, coming up from behind Rouge to stand beside her. The two females dropped their abundant shopping bags onto the floor in front of Shadow's bench.

"You shouldn't wander off alone like that, Shadow," Rouge said in a motherly tone, mimicking the exact words the mother from earlier had spoken. "Not in your condition, anyway," she continued. Shadow simply grimaced and turned his attention away from the two girls, something he'd been doing every time they tried to engage him in conversation.

Rouge lowered her eyes to the ground, looking disappointed at the lack of improvement in Shadow's mood. Sonic had asked her to take Shadow on an outing, most likely to make him feel better, but so far she seemed to be achieving the opposite result. She looked up at the melancholic hedgehog in guilt. Maybe she should just drop Shadow back at Sonic's house?

Amy noticed the tense atmosphere and the effect Shadow was having on Rouge with his cantankerous behavior. Frowning, she stamped her foot on the ground angrily, drawing both the hedgehog and bat's attention to her.

"Alright, that's enough, Shadow!" She pointed a finger at the startled male hedgehog in a parental manner. "You've been acting moody and irritable ever since we got here! I know we haven't been doing anything you wanted, but that's no reason to be such an ass all the time! Rouge has been asking you where you wanted to go from the beginning, but you're not giving us a straight answer!"

She paused in her scolding to look angrily at Shadow, who did not seem affected by her words. What the bubblegum pink hedgehog was saying was correct; every chance she got, Rouge asked Shadow if he found a place he would like to check out. She'd even asked him once if he wanted to just leave the mall and go somewhere else instead. And every time, Shadow would either reply with a curt "no" or ignore her.

"Rouge here took the time out of her day to bring you here to have some fun!" Amy continued, trying very hard not to raise her voice too high and thus draw too much attention to them. "Even if you're not in the mood for it, the least you could do is _try_ to have fun, especially if someone is doing something nice for you!"

"Amy…," Rouge began slowly, trying to stop her friend.

Amy ignored Rouge and kept going. "If you weren't such a stuck-up jerk all the time, then maybe you'd realize that Rouge is only trying to help you. That Sonic is trying to help you. _We're_ all trying to help you. Because we _care_ about you!"

"Alright, Amy, that's enough," Rouge interjected, placing a soothing hand on the furious hedgehog's arm, worried that Amy might pull out her Piko Piko Hammer at any moment. "I think Shadow gets your point."

The ivory bat glanced at the ebony hedgehog, who was simply watching Amy with an unfazed expression, as if her words had simply passed right through him with no effect. Rouge bit her lip uncertainly, wondering how best to break the tension. Unable to come up with anything she said the first thing that had come to her mind:

"Why don't we all go have lunch?" she suggested, looking at Amy, pleading for her to calm down. "I'm sure we'll all feel better after a nice meal." Of course, she was aware that Shadow did not eat and therefore would not "feel better" if he did, but made that hopeful statement anyway.

Amy sighed and nodded her head, having finally calmed down. "Yeah, you're probably right, Rouge," she agreed. She glared at the ebony hedgehog. "Let's go, _Shadow_." Squatting, she picked up some of the bags with a grunt, with Rouge following her lead. Shadow rose to his own feet, watching them struggle slightly to carry all those bags by themselves. It served them right, he supposed, having bought so much junk that they probably wouldn't need. Still, it was a lot of stuff…

"Give them to me," Shadow stated irritably, positioning his crutch under his uninjured arm and holding out the hand of said arm at the two girls' bags. The white bat and pink hedgehog looked at the black hedgehog in surprise, glancing at each other.

"N-no, it's alright, Shadow," Rouge assured him, smiling as she attempted (and failed) to carry all her bags by herself.

"Yeah, don't worry about us, Shadow," Amy replied, her anger at him suddenly vanishing at his show of chivalry.

But Shadow would not take no for an answer.

"Give them to me," he repeated, not in a threatening tone, but in a serious one nonetheless. The two females glanced at each other once more in hesitation, then handed Shadow some of their bags one at a time. Shadow took the bags in his hand as they were offered. Once he was done accepting, Rouge and Amy's load had lessened significantly, and the two females stared at Shadow speechlessly. He had three bags clamped in one hand, one hooked to his wrist and held in place by the upper hem of his glove, with two bags hanging from his neck, and two more secured to his crutch.

Needless to say, he looked ridiculous.

Amy smirked at him. "Wow, Shadow. I didn't think it was possible, but you might have started a new fashion trend," she mocked in a friendly tone. "The "Shopping Bag Look". You definitely pull it off well."

Shadow smirked amusingly at Amy. Rouge smiled, glad that Shadow seemed to be lightening up, though she was a little jealous that Amy had been the one to improve Shadow's mood.

Wait, jealous? Where had that come from? She wasn't jealous or anything. That would be ridiculous, to get jealous over such a simple thing.

Though…

Rouge mentally shook her herself as if to clear her head of those thoughts, instead wondering what had brought about Shadow's sudden change of mood. She didn't ask though, simply securing her baggage and leading the way to the food court with Amy right behind her. After a second, Shadow followed, moving easily despite the bags hanging from his body now. As he limped after Rouge and Amy, a series of words rang through his mind continuously.

"_I gave him my chocolate because he looked sad, Mommy!"_

"_Rouge here took the time out of her day to bring you here to have some fun! Even if you're not in the mood for it, the least you could do is try to have fun, especially if someone is doing something nice for you!"_

"We're_ all trying to help you. Because we _care _about you!"_

Shadow smirked to himself as he followed the ivory bat and the pink hedgehog to the food court. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to lighten up a little.

* * *

><p>The Sun was just preparing to set as Rouge's car drove up in front of Sonic's house. Bidding the white bat farewell, the black hedgehog stepped out of the car, and began walking up the pathway to the house's door.<p>

"Shadow…," Rouge called out suddenly, causing the black hedgehog to stop and turn to face her, crimson eyes glowing in the oncoming darkness. Rouge was looking hesitantly from Shadow to her steering wheel and back, apparently steeling herself to say or do something. After a minute of silence, Shadow finally decided to break it.

"Yes?" he asked plainly, as if there had been no awkward pause after her call.

Rouge grinned sheepishly, shaking her head. "Oh, it's nothing," she replied. "Bye, Shadow. I hope you had a good time."

And with that, she drove off, leaving a puzzled Shadow on the doorstep. Shrugging, Shadow turned to ring the doorbell, but before he could, the door flew open as Sonic appeared in the doorway, beaming at the black hedgehog.

"Shadow! You're back!" Sonic exclaimed, as if surprised. But Shadow was not fooled by Sonic's façade. It was obvious that the sapphire hedgehog had been watching Shadow and Rouge from the window the moment they arrived.

"And how was your day, young man?" Sonic asked in a mock parental tone. Shadow pushed past him and slumped down onto his claimed sofa.

"Fine," Shadow replied, though this time his monosyllabic answer was not delivered in an irritated, furious, or sarcastic tone, but in a calm and slightly satisfied one. The black hedgehog looked up at his blue rival. "Thank you for suggesting this excursion for me, Sonic." With that proclamation, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa, as if he were going to sleep.

Sonic blinked in surprise, not sure whether Shadow was being sincere or sarcastic in the delivery of that last statement.

"Er, you're welcome, I guess?" he replied dubiously.


	11. Chapter 10: The Returning Threat

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: The Returning Threat<strong>

"Well, Mr. Shadow, I'm happy to say that you're making an outstanding recovery," the green tree frog declared as he laid out the X-ray sheets before Shadow and Sonic. Shadow picked up the black and bluish-white image of his left arm's bones as Dr. Anura continued.

"At the rate your body's healing, you should be back to normal in maybe two, three days at most." He smiled and intertwined his webbed fingers together. "Then you should be able to remove those casts of yours and lead a normal life once more."

"Well, that's good news," Sonic remarked with a nod, glancing at Shadow happily.

Shadow looked up from the sheet in his hand and placed it back on the table beside the X-ray of his leg. He snorted mentally at the doctor's words. "Normal life", sure. Shadow's life was anything but normal. Dangerous? Definitely. Intense? Indeed. Adventurous? Absolutely. Normal? No. In fact, not one of the "Sonic Heroes" led a normal life; well, maybe Cream, but she was still a child. In Shadow's case, there was a greater disparity in his life as compared to say, Dr. Anura. And not just because the frog was a qualified consultant; but because Shadow, since his birth, had been influenced to protect both Mankind and Mobiankind, whether the two races wanted his help or not. And this influence had come, not from Professor Robotnik or Black Doom, but from Maria. He may have been created to destroy, but Maria had wanted him to protect, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Shadow posed a question he had been mulling over for some time. "Do I still have to remain in bed rest?" he inquired in an uncharacteristically hopeful tone, watching the doctor.

The tree frog smiled apologetically. "Sadly, yes. Your body is still fragile enough to get damaged should you do anything too physical." He laughed suddenly. "Though, to be honest, there's not much you can do with those casts on. Am I right?"

"Indeed," Shadow replied with a hint of bitterness in his words.

They left the hospital shortly after that, heading back to Sonic's house, where Shadow still had to rest (much to his obvious dismay).

"I'll bet you're excited about finally getting those casts off, Shadow," Sonic voiced as he opened the front door and stepped inside. He seemed to have missed Shadow's lack of display of any excitement, apparently. Sitting down on an armchair while Shadow took the one opposite him, Sonic continued. "So what's the first thing you're gonna when your casts come off?" His tone was cheeky now, as if he expected Shadow to do something "naughty" once he regained the full function of his limbs.

"Get away from this house as fast as I can," Shadow replied emotionlessly. Sonic blinked in surprise.

"Oh," he said simply, apparently a little hurt.

"That, or throttle you," Shadow smirked as he looked directly at Sonic. The blue hedgehog blinked, speechless. "Or, I might throttle you and _then_ leave," Shadow continued, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Or, I might leave, and then come back later to throttle you. Hmm, so many decisions…"

Sonic gaped silently at Shadow, unsure as to whether he was being serious or not.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked tentatively, watching the black hedgehog doubtfully. Shadow did not reply, instead turning a stoic face to his rival.

Thankfully, the "friendly" moment was interrupted by Tails' dramatic arrival.

"SONIC!" the gold fox cub cried as he burst into the room through the front door. The two hedgehogs turned to face the panicking fox. "It's serious, Sonic! We don't have much time! We have to get moving!"

"Whoa, Tails, slow down!" Sonic commented calmly, getting to his feet and walking over to the two-tailed fox. "Now, what's up?"

Tails took a deep breath to calm himself down, and spoke.

"Alright, so I was walking through the town, and I passed this museum, where I saw this poster announcing that they had found a special gemstone and were going to put it on display for all to see."

"Lemme guess. That gemstone was a Chaos Emerald?" Sonic asked with a sigh.

Tails nodded. "But that's not the problem!" he continued, waving his arms frantically. "The problem is that, after I finished looking at the poster, this huge explosion came from inside the museum." The pre-pubescent fox's voice was quickly rising in amplitude as he began to get worried. "I ran to check what happened, and I saw a creature inside that looked similar to that red creature we saw back at the EMPH's base!"

"The Red Creature?" Sonic repeated, glancing at Shadow automatically (since said creature was the cause of Shadow's injuries, after all). He turned back to Tails. "It was looking for the Chaos Emerald, wasn't it?"

Tails nodded fervently. "Yeah, that was it looked like. I ran here as fast as I could to get you." He grabbed Sonic's gloved hand and began pulling him towards his workshop. "We'll take the Tornado. The police are probably at the museum keeping it busy. We've only got a few minutes before that thing finds the Emerald and escapes with it. We have to hurry!"

"I got it, Tails, I got it!" Sonic cried in exasperation, though he was startled by his friend's insistence. Tails was clearly worried about the red creatures and their apparent desire for the Chaos Emerald, and he rightfully was; most people who were after the Emeralds were seldom after them for a good reason.

"You get the Tornado ready, Tails," Sonic decided, freeing his hand from Tails'. "I can get there faster on foot then you can by air. I'll try and hold it off long enough for you to get there."

Tails nodded and made to pass through the door to his workshop, but was halted as Shadow finally spoke up from his seat.

"And what makes you two think you'll be able to take that creature down?" he asked savagely. "In case you've forgotten, it took five of us to take down the last one, and we ended up losing because -." He stopped, and then continued, skipping over the end of his previous sentence. "And I'm sure you remember just how powerful a punch those things can pack." He gestured to his wounds as he said that to support his statement.

Sonic grinned confidently. "Don't worry, Shadow, Tails has it covered," he assured, moving to the door. "He's been working on some extra firepower for the Tornado ever since our last encounter. I told you he was installing upgrades, didn't I?" Throwing a salute-like wave at the two, Sonic dashed out of the house and vanished into the distance, headed to confront the newly arrived creature.

"Alright, I'd better get going too," Tails told himself, turning to the door. He stopped, his hand on the doorknob, and turned to look at Shadow. "I'm sorry we have to leave you here, but you know that you can't fight in that conditi-."

"I'm well-aware of that," he interjected. "But, I do have a request for you. A very important one, mind you."

Tails didn't say anything, waiting for Shadow to continue, while at the same time wondering what Shadow could possibly want from him.

"I need you to get a blood sample of that creature."

Tails' eyes widened in surprise and he titled his head in confusion.

"Why do you -?" he began, only to be cut off by Shadow once more.

"Just do it," the black hedgehog snapped. Nodding, Tails left the room. The ebony hedgehog leaned back in his armchair, staring at the armchair across the table from him, though not really staring at it. His mind was distant as he dropped into a state of deep contemplation, going over the thoughts he had been thinking about for the past two weeks.

The Red Creatures.

That odd sense of familiarity.

Was his hunch correct? Was it possible? And if so, _how_ was it possible?

The onyx hedgehog recalled the mysterious dream he had had in the hospital; a dream he had slowly, but surely, begun to recall. Those three, glowing red eyes in the darkness and the harsh, bone-chilling voice, they could belong to only one person…

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it," Tails whispered in amazement, leaning back from the information on the computer screen he had been reading. He slowly turned his sky-blue eyes to the two hedgehogs standing behind him, his gaze lingering on the darker of the two. "Did you know, Shadow?" he asked the hedgehog, still sounding astonished. Shadow nodded in confirmation.<p>

"What is it?" Sonic asked, glancing back and forth between the two in confusion. "Lemme in on the secret!"

It was an hour after Tails had arrived with the tale of the creature's attack on the museum and search for the Chaos Emerald. Unfortunately, though Tails' new installments had given them the upper hand, he and Sonic had been unable to stop the beast from grabbing the white Emerald and vanishing with a flash of yellow light. Dejected and defeated, the two heroes had returned home to give Shadow the bad news. To their surprise, the onyx hedgehog was indifferent to their failure (probably because he already knew that they would fail), and instead asked Tails if he had managed to get a sample of the creature's blood. Still puzzled, the fox answered in the positive, and was even more confused when Shadow told him to take some of the black hedgehog's blood and compare the two fluids. And so, Tails had obeyed the dark hedgehog, wondering what the motive behind his demands was. And now he knew.

"Take a look for yourself, Sonic," Tails offered, moving aside to let Sonic look at the text on the monitor. Sonic smiled weakly and shook his head.

"No thanks, I wouldn't have a clue what I was reading anyway," he admitted embarrassedly. "Why don't you just tell me? In simple words, though," he added quickly.

"Well, in a nutshell, the genetic make-up of that red creature's DNA and Shadow's are nearly 74% identical," Tails proclaimed.

"Identical?" Sonic repeated, looking from Shadow to Tails and back. "Why would that be?"

Tails shrugged unknowingly.

"Because those creatures and I share the same "father"," Shadow answered calmly, looking at both of them meaningfully. "And that is Black Doom."

Azure eyes and emerald eyes widened simultaneously at this declaration.

"Black Doom?" Tails repeated in astonishment. "But then, that means..."

Shadow nodded. "Yes. Those "Red Creatures" are modified versions of the Black Arms."

A tense silence followed Shadow's words.

Sonic gave an amused whistle, finally breaking the silence. "Man, talk about random," he observed, glancing at the two solemn Mobians. "But hey! At least these clones actually have black arms! Right?"

"This is no time for your incessant buffoonery, Sonic," Shadow snapped angrily. "This is a serious issue. We're all aware how dangerous the Black Arms are - were. What we need to find out is, _how _these new Black Arms came to be, and who they are working for."

"You don't think it could be Black Doom again, do you?" Tails asked Shadow anxiously. The ebony hedgehog shook his head slowly.

"No, I don't believe Black Doom is behind this," he stated in what sounded like a confident tone. "I know I landed the killing blow on him when we last fought, but he did claim to be an immortal being. He may have survived and come back with a modified crew to exact his revenge, but I don't believe that. I believe someone else is behind these new Black Arms."

"If not Black Doom, then who?" Sonic posed to the black hedgehog, who simply shrugged.

"That's the problem. I have no idea."

"Maybe it's Eggman?" Tails suggested.

Sonic laughed. "Eggman? That's stretching it a bit too far, Tails! I doubt Eggman would resort to clones of Black Arms when he has his robots."

"He used clones of me, remember?" Shadow reminded him with a glare. "So it's a possibility. Besides, the Doctor was part of the three-way war between himself, GUN, and the Black Arms. Knowing his twisted mind, I'm sure he collected some Black Arm corpses or DNA for future research." Sonic closed his mouth, realizing that Shadow had a point.

"So you think it's Eggman, too?" he asked his black counterpart.

Shadow shook his head. "No. As I said, I'm not sure. It may be the Doctor, but it may not be him as well. We will simply have to wait and see."

"Or we could try and find a way to track the creatures' warp signal to their destination," Tails put forth. "They could lead us right to right to whoever's behind all this."

"That's an idea," Sonic agreed, nodding. "You think you can do it, buddy?"

"I suppose I could build some kind of tracking beacon," Tails answered, swiveling his stool back to his computer and beginning his typing. "Until then, we should also try to locate the other Emeralds before the Black Arms do." He looked back at the two hedgehogs. "Those Black Arms have at least two, as far as we know. I've got one in here." He gestured around his workshop. "That leaves four more, assuming the Black Arms don't have more than two."

Sonic grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry, bro, we'll find those Emeralds before those Black Arms do. And even if they get there first, there's no way in hell we're letting them get away with another Emerald!" He looked at Shadow with his signature grin of confidence stretched across his face. "Am I right, Shadow?"

"Hmph," Shadow replied with a smirk.

* * *

><p>A flash of yellow light illuminated the room, and a second later a towering, bipedal beast with reptilian skin trudged forward, blinking its small eyes stupidly at the man standing in the shadows in front of it. The man stepped out from the darkness, a man with an enormous belly, a bald head, and a pair of bushy brown moustaches. Said human grinned triumphantly up at the beast, his navy blue <em>pince-nez<em> glasses glinting with malicious delight.

Doctor Eggman extended a gloved hand at the red creature, as if expecting it to offer him something. The Black Arm obediently bent down and placed its car-sized hand above the Doctor's. A second later, its palm began glowing a bright white color before a white Chaos Emerald emerged out of its palm and gently dropped into Eggman's upturned, awaiting hand. His grin intensifying, Eggman laughed his signature chuckle to himself before turning around and walking over to a row of seven cylinders. He placed the Emerald in the slot of one of the tubes, where it immediately rose to the center of the tube, floating there as if suspended by some invisible upward force, revolving slowly on its horizontal axis.

Stepping back, Eggman crossed his arms across his chest in satisfaction, his eyes sliding from the white Emerald to the yellow one beside it, and finally to the cyan blue Emerald in the third cylinder.

"Yes, it's all coming together nicely," Eggman observed proudly, nodding his head to himself. He looked up slowly at the Black Arm still standing behind him, staring blankly into space with an unintelligent air. "With these creatures, I will finally be able to rid myself of that miserable little rodent. Ho-hohohohoh!"


	12. Chapter 11: I'm Sorry

**Author's Note: As I'm sure everyone has noticed, I've changed the classification of this story from "Adventure/Romance" to "Adventure/Suspense". It's come to my attention that there won't really be a lot of romantic scenes in this tale; at least, not enough to warrant such a categorization.**

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: I'm Sorry<strong>

"- and this way, we'll know where they've gone even if they teleport hundreds, even thousands of miles!" the young fox finished proudly, watching Shadow expectantly, as if he were awaiting some form of praise from the black hedgehog. Shadow simply nodded his head and gave an "I see. Well done" in response. Tails seemed to take what he could and leaned back in his armchair, humming to himself.

Shadow also leaned back in his seat, thinking over the cub's words. Tails had just showed to him the blueprints for the new tracker he was inventing, which he planned to attach to a Black Arm the next time they encountered one. He had just finished explaining the details of the device, as well as an in-depth explanation of its mechanism and method of functioning. Shadow barely understood half of what the fox had told him, but he had understood enough to know that the beacon would work when it was used.

He did wonder, however, why the yellow fox had elected to explain the workings of his latest invention to Shadow, and not Sonic. Perhaps it had to with the fact that Sonic was out on a run at the moment, and Tails (needing someone to project his childish excitement over having successfully completed something) only had Shadow to talk to. Shadow, having interacted with the pre-teen fox very little in the past, was not yet aware of Tails' tendency to ramble on in scientific terms, regardless of whether his audience could understand him or not. Tails' closer friends, like Sonic or Knuckles, would stop the fox as soon as he began, but an inexperienced Shadow would not.

And speaking of Sonic…

At that moment, the front door flew open as Sonic leaped in, looking his usual hyper, jolly self. "Hey guys!" he called, drawing Shadow and Tails' attention to him. "Look what I found!"

And he pulled a disgruntled Knuckles into the house.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You found Knuckles?" he asked in surprise. "I didn't even know he was missing."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "No, that's not what I meant! Besides, who'd waste their time looking for Knuckles anyway?"

"Hey!" exclaimed an indignant Knuckles.

"What I - _we _found, are _these_." With a dramatic flourish, Sonic pulled the dark blue Chaos Emerald from behind his back while Knuckles pulled out the red one (albeit in a less enthusiastic manner). "Ta-da!" Sonic exclaimed, beaming at Shadow and Tails. "We found two more Chaos Emeralds!"

"That's great, Sonic!" Tails leapt to his feet and moved over to his friends, taking the two gemstones into his hands and examining them. "Now we've got three, so we should have at most two more to get."

As Tails carried the two Emeralds into his workshop to place them in the vault with the other Emerald, Shadow turned to Sonic and Knuckles. "And where exactly did you find these Emeralds?" he asked, not sure what to think of this sudden occurrence. They had just resolved to find the other Emeralds yesterday, and now Sonic had found two more already? Talk about a coincidence.

Sonic grinned and sat down on the armchair Tails had just vacated, while Knuckles took the one opposite it. "Well, it's a story of epic proportions, filled with drama and excitement and hot babes and giant robots and -."

"Just tell him the damn story, Sonic," Knuckles interrupted, rolling his amethyst eyes in turn and leaning back in the armchair. Sonic grinned sheepishly.

"Alright, so it doesn't actually have any of that stuff," he admitted with a shrug. "Here's what happened:

I was out on my morning run as usual, checking out the sights and stuff, when I decided to take a little detour through the Mystic Ruins. You know, felt like spicing up my jog with a little change in scenery. Anyway, when I get there, I spot this blue glow under the lake. When I get closer to check it out, I find out it's a Chaos Emerald! Of course, I had no idea how I was gonna get to it, since I couldn't really jump into the water and get it…"

Sonic laughed weakly in embarrassment.

"How unfortunate," Shadow remarked neutrally. "And then?" he posed.

Sonic glanced at Knuckles, indicating that he should take over the narration. The crimson echidna nodded his head, his dreadlock-styled quills flopping with the action as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Well, as Sonic already mentioned, I had the red Chaos Emerald with me all along. I've had it for a long time, actually, way before we invaded that EMPH base. Since we didn't really need the Emeralds at that point for anything, I kept quiet about it. Besides, I was sure that if I told anyone that I had an Emerald, word would spread and somehow, Rouge would find out. And knowing that Batgirl, she would waste no time in trying to snatch it from me."

Shadow nodded his head in acknowledgement of Knuckles' words. His thought process had been correct; Rouge would definitely have found out (she had a knack for learning things she oughtn't to), and indeed would have attempted to claim possession of the gemstone from Knuckles. Despite the fact that she had never actually managed to steal anything from Knuckles (how many times had she tried and failed to pinch the Master Emerald from the Guardian?) she always seemed prepared to try and score one over the echidna. That was how rivalry worked, after all.

"Anyway, so I had the Emerald with me the whole time, and the whole time it stayed pretty much normal, glowing like it always did. But today, I saw that its glow was much brighter and powerful. I knew what that meant. There was another Chaos Emerald nearby, and the red one was reacting to its presence. I took the red Emerald and began searching for the other one, and I ended up right where Sonic was, beside that lake."

"How fortunate," Shadow repeated, his voice dripping with skeptic sarcasm.

"I know, right?" Sonic agreed, apparently missing the sardonic tone in Shadow's voice. "With Knuckles there, it was a cinch getting that Emerald out of the lake. It must've landed in the river somehow and been swept down the waterfall into the lake."

"It would've been a disaster if that Emerald ended up in the ocean," Knuckles voiced, leaning back in the armchair once more and folding his mitten-gloved hands behind his head. "We'd probably need a submarine to get at it then."

Shadow turned to the red echidna. "I assume Sonic has told why we're looking for the Emeralds?" he questioned.

Knuckles nodded his head. "Yep. Black Arm clones, huh? Never thought I'd see or hear of those things again. Beats me why anyone would want to use them, especially Eggman." He glanced at Sonic and Shadow in bewilderment. "Are you guys sure he's -?"

_Ding dong!_

Knuckles stopped talking as the doorbell sounded, diverting his attention to the front door. Wondering who it could be, Sonic moved to the door and opened. He gave an exclamation of surprise when he saw who the guest was.

"Rouge! What're you doing here?"

The ivory bat smiled and stepped inside, glancing around the room at Knuckles and Shadow. "Hey, Shadow. Hey Knuckles," she greeted amiably. She then turned back to Sonic, replying to his query. "Oh, I just had some business to attend to here."

The three males were silent as they stared in bewilderment at Rouge. She had just greeted Shadow and Knuckles without so much as an attempt at flirtation to accompany it. She hadn't even tried to tease Knuckles about the Master Emerald, or frankly about anything. Teasing the echidna was one of her favorite hobbies, never missing the chance to do so, just so she could see his reaction to her taunts. She found Knuckles to be a more enjoyable puppet to manipulate than Shadow; partly because she could actually manipulate the hot-headed echidna successfully, unlike the composed hedgehog. It was one of her idiosyncrasies, and yet now she wasn't living up to it.

_There's something on her mind,_ all three of the males thought at once as she sat down in the seat Sonic had been sitting in prior to her arrival.

"Here?" Sonic repeated in amazement at Rouge's answer, coming back to his senses. He glanced around his "humble" abode. "As in, here in my house?"

"Well, sort of," she replied, glancing down at the carpeted floor nervously. The echidna and the two hedgehogs waited patiently, eyeing her in wonder.

_She looks upset about something,_ Knuckles observed sympathetically. _I wonder what's wrong with her._

_What's she doing here, anyway? _Shadow wondered, watching the white bat through narrowed eyes. _It looks like she's trying to force herself to say or do something mentally straining. Just like when we came back from the mall…_

_What does she mean, she has business here? _Sonic thought anxiously as he moved to stand beside Knuckles' elbow. _I hope it's not what I think it is. Tails' is still in the house._

There contemplation came to an end as Rouge finally lifted her head and looked up at Shadow in determination. "Shadow, can I talk to you about something?" she asked with strengthened resolve. "Alone?" she added, glancing at Sonic and Knuckles significantly. Sonic opened his mouth to ask why, but Knuckles elbowed him in the gut to silence him. Rising to his feet, the echidna nodded his head in assent, grabbing the blue hedgehog by the arm and pulling him out of the room. However, the two had barely exited the room when Shadow spoke up, stopping them in their tracks.

"No, it's alright, you don't have to leave," he assured the two. Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge glanced at him in confusion. The ebony hedgehog picked up his crutch and rose to his feet. He looked down at the snow-colored bat. "Let's go somewhere else," he suggested, heading for the door. "Someplace where people won't listen in on our conversation from behind a closed door."

He glared at Sonic pointedly as he said those words, making the blue hedgehog blush and fake naïve ignorance. Turning away from his blue counterpart, Shadow opened the door and waited for Rouge to exit. The white bat eyed him uncertainly for a moment, before slowly getting to her feet and leading the way out. Shadow closed the door behind him and limped across the pathway to the sidewalk where Rouge stood waiting for him.

"Follow me," he ordered, turning to his left and hobbling down the pavement. Puzzled, Rouge followed the black hedgehog, past the residential buildings and across a street to their destination: a small, empty field of grass enclosed by a metal fence. The expanse of grass was actually a park, or at least used to be one before the much larger and more popular Emerald Park opened up a few blocks away. Now, all the residents of Emerald Town would go there rather than to this smaller and less impressive one. Sure, there was a small fountain in the center, some swing sets, slides and monkey bars, but it hardly compared to the extravagance of its new competitor. Nevertheless, the park still had a purpose: it was almost always deserted and peaceful, which made it perfect for someone aiming to have a moment of peace or relaxation.

Pushing the metal gate open on its slightly rusted hinges, Shadow stepped onto the soft, springy grass of the park, walking over to the still-functioning fountain in the center and taking a seat on one of the benches surrounding it. The park may not have any visitors anymore, but the owner still kept it going as if it still was. Gardeners still looked after the grass, mechanics ensured the fountain and the play area were still operational; they all hoped that the crowd would return one day. At the moment, though, the only living beings in the park were Shadow, Rouge, and the few but plentiful wild animals.

Rouge sat down on the bench beside the silent Shadow, noticing him watching a pair of chirping robins on the fountain. Smiling at the pleasant sight, she turned her azure eyes to look at the black hedgehog, who did not turn his head to meet her gaze.

_Can't he just look at me for once?_ she thought in discomfort. _It would make this a lot easier…_

Taking a deep breath, she finally brought herself to speak.

"Shadow, I-I wanted to talk to you about something important," she started, locking both her hands together above her lap and glancing down at them. "I… I wanted to apologize to you."

As her gaze was averted from his face, Rouge missed the momentary narrowing of Shadow's eyes that emphasized his confusion. Apologize? For what? What did she have to apologize to him for?

Rouge glanced up at Shadow to check for a reaction, but the puzzled expression had vanished as quickly as it appeared; she had missed it. She was slightly glad that Shadow had not said anything; she felt if she was interrupted, she might not be able to get this out properly.

"I wanted to apologize… for getting you hurt. Back at the EMPH base, I let my fixation on jewels get the better of me; not once, but twice. And the second time, I nearly got you killed. You were injured so badly, and I was so frightened, so worried that I might have gotten you killed. And all because I got distracted by a stupid rock." She looked at Shadow with regret in her eyes, but all she saw was the usually impassive profile of the hedgehog. She lowered her head in guilt, the beginnings of tears swelling up in her eyes. The words that came out of her mouth next were filled with sorrow and grief, reflecting the state of her mind and soul as she spilled her guts to Shadow. "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me or won't forgive me for what I did. I was stupid selfish, and it was all my fault that you got hurt so badly." The tears had begun to flow now, sliding down her face as she brought it all out. "And I know you've been mad at me these past few weeks, but I just want you to know that -."

"I don't hate you," the onyx hedgehog interrupted shortly, stopping the emotional bat in mid-sentence. Rouge raised startled, moist eyes to look up at Shadow, who was now looking at her with the same impassive look, but this time his crimson seemed to have softened significantly.

"You don't… hate me?" Rouge repeated slowly, as if finding difficulty in believing this. "Even though it's my fault you're like this?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Yes, what you did was foolish, and yes, I was badly wounded because of that." His mouth stretched into a thin line as he spoke the next words. "And I won't forgive you for what happened," he finished in a deadpan tone.

A horrified Rouge seemed ready to burst back into tears as Shadow spoke these words. She sat there helplessly, looking at the black hedgehog through wet eyes.

"I won't forgive you," Shadow repeated seriously. "Because I don't blame you in the first place."

Rouge froze at hearing these words, staring at Shadow in renewed confusion. "Wh-what?"

The black hedgehog looked at her intently. "You heard me. I don't hold you responsible for my injuries. Like I said, I did get injured because of your mistake. But, I don't regret taking the blow for you. Because," he looked at her significantly, "if I hadn't, then you wouldn't be in a cast right now. You would be in a grave."

Rouge did not say anything as Shadow made this truthful yet chilling observation. She lowered her gaze from the hedgehog, looking at her gloved hands as they gripped her knees tightly. Shadow placed his uninjured hand on her two trembling ones, drawing her blue-green eyes to his own blood-red ones.

"It's not your fault, Rouge," Shadow restated firmly, though in a much more sympathetic tone. Rouge slowly smiled at him, taking his hand in her own two and squeezing gently.

"Thank you, Shadow," she said gratefully, letting go off his hand. She rubbed her eyes with her gloves, wiping away the tears, before looking back at Shadow and smiling. "Thank you," she repeated.

"Hmph," Shadow replied unblushingly, turning his attention back to the fountain before him. Rouge followed his gaze, watching the elegant and picturesque manner in which the water sprouted out of the fountain and fell down it into the pool below it.

"It's about time you thanked me, Rouge," Shadow said after two minutes of silence. His tone was mocking and jocular as he smirked at the puzzled white bat. "You never did thank me for saving your life, twice, on the _same_ day."

Rouge blinked and then smirked back at him, her mood having returned to its usually pompous and prideful one. "Wow. I didn't think you'd be the kind of person to rub those feats in other people's faces, particularly if that person is the one you saved," she replied sarcastically, punching him playfully on his good shoulder, laughing good-naturedly as she did so. Her tone and expression suddenly became serious as she looked at the smirking Shadow. "Thank you, Shadow. Thank you for looking out for me all the time, and thank you for saving my life all the time."

Shadow blinked with an uncomfortable air.

"Err, you're welcome," he replied lamely, looking away from the bat in embarrassed uncertainty. His discomfort intensified when Rouge leaned closer and rested her head against his shoulder, watching the fountain with a peaceful expression. An awkward-feeling Shadow debated whether he should request Rouge to mind his personal space, but then he decided against it. It wasn't like she was hurting him, or something. Therefore, he simply let Rouge keep her head on his shoulder, while he too brought his gaze to the fountain.

From a shrubbery behind the two, a camera lens glinted slightly in the sunshine. The blue hedgehog grinned slyly from behind the camcorder, his presence obscured by the leaves around him. _This. Is. Gold!_ Sonic thought delightedly as he zoomed in on the pair. Oh, how he was going to enjoy mocking Shadow after this! He could already imagine The Ultimate Lifeform launching an onslaught of Chaos Spears his way. Oh, what fun he was going to have!

"Sonic, what'cha doing?" a soft, feminine voice suddenly whispered from behind the blue hedgehog. Too lost in his thoughts, Sonic glanced at the pink hedgehog in the brush beside him without realizing who it was and winked playfully, jerking a thumb at Shadow and Rouge.

"Getting blackmail material," he answered with a mischievous grin, turning back to the black hedgehog and white bat. Amy watched Sonic with an expectant smile on her face, waiting.

Three.

Two.

One.

Sonic's eyes widened as he finally realized who was in bush beside him. Slowly, he turned his jade green eyes to look at the fuchsia hedgehog, who was currently peering at the two figures on the bench. She then turned her own green eyes to look at Sonic, and smiled sweetly.

The blue hedgehog grinned weakly. "Five second head start?" he asked hopefully.

Amy furrowed her eyebrows, thinking. "Two," she finally replied calmly.

His smile weakening even further, Sonic dashed out of the bush as quickly and quietly as he could. Amy stepped out from the bush and rose to her feet, dusting her red dress with an annoyed mutter. When she straightened up, she did not run off in the direction Sonic had gone. Instead, she looked over her shoulder and the hedgehog and the bat seated on the bench. A pleased smile slid across his face as she nodded her head in satisfaction. "Atta girl, Rouge," she whispered to herself.

_Then_ she took off after Sonic.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: And <em>that<em>, my dear readers, is as romantic as I can make characters in a story. Or, as romantic as I can make them without physically harming myself in subsequent disgust. Writing this chapter was torturous enough for me, and I had to stop myself from re-writing it all during the proof-reading so as to make it less "vomit-worthy" for me. **

**Ugh. I hate romance.**


	13. Chapter 12: All Better

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: All Better<strong>

"What do you mean, you can't find him?" Shadow demanded, staring at the young fox sternly. "I saw Sonic go into his room. I know he's there."

As if seeking to prove his belief, Shadow limped to Sonic's bedroom, with Tails hurrying after him.

"I told you, Shadow, he's not there!" he repeated anxiously, but the black hedgehog ignored him. Grabbing hold of the doorknob, Shadow tried to turn it and push open the door to Sonic's bedroom, but to his irritation the door was locked. Resisting the urge to knock the door down, Shadow spun around and barked at Tails:

"Open this damn door, right now."

With a sigh, Tails left to find the key and returned a moment later with the metal item in his hand. Inserting the key into the keyhole and turning it, he unlocked the door and stepped back as Shadow rudely pushed open the door and stomped into the room. His raging eyes scanned the room for a sign of the blue hedgehog, but after a minute of searching, he had to conclude that Sonic was indeed absent from his room.

"I told you he wasn't there," Tails remarked in the necessary "I-told-you-so" tone. Shadow grimaced at him and hobbled over to the coffee table.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to be the one to take me to the hospital to get these things removed," Shadow announced to Tails, gesturing to his casts. Indeed, the time had finally come when Shadow could rid himself of his annoying casts and regain the use of all his limbs. All he had to do was go with Sonic to the hospital, where Dr. Anura would go over a routine check-up before removing the casts. But unfortunately, that blasted blue hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. He had left the house without anyone knowing, and neither Shadow nor Tails had a clue where he was. Shadow was almost running late for his appointment, and the pent-up frustration he had been harboring towards Sonic and his infernal casts for the past few weeks was finally began to leak out.

Tails' eyes widened and he shook head. "Sorry, Shadow, but I can't take you," he told him apologetically. "I've got to finish working on the Anti-Black Arm weapons I've been developing."

Shadow glared at him. "Well then, who the hell is going to take me?" he growled venomously at the suddenly uneasy fox. Shadow looked about ready to toss the nearest piece of furniture out the window; he was visibly seething.

Thankfully, an apprehensive Tails was spared from answering this question by the ringing of the doorbell.

"Maybe it's Sonic!" Tails suggested to Shadow in a hopeful tone, heading for the door and opening it.

It was not Sonic.

"Good morning, Tails," Rouge said pleasantly as she stepped into the house and looked over at Shadow. "Good morning, Shadow."

"Oh! Good morning, Rouge," Tails answered back.

Shadow did not reply at the greeting, not looking at either Rouge or Tails, but at the carpet below him. His crimson eyes were narrowed in fury, his mouth curled in a murderous snarl.

"That bastard," Shadow growled angrily through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong, Shadow?" Rouge asked curiously. She glanced around the room, then down at Tails. "Where's Sonic? Isn't he taking Shadow to the hospital?"

Tails scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. "Well, that's the problem, see…" And he brought Rouge up to speed on the predicament of Sonic's sudden disappearance. "And I can't take Shadow myself, because I've got important work to do," he added before Rouge could ask. The female bat frowned.

"Then I guess I'll have to take Shadow to the hospital," she decided, looking at the still immobile hedgehog. "That alright with you, Shadow?"

"IamgoingtokillyouSonic," Shadow mumbled incomprehensibly in fury. Rouge blinked.

"Sorry? What was that?" Shadow looked up at her.

"Nothing. Let's go."

And with that, the bat and crippled hedgehog made their way out of the house and into Rouge's car. The purple Corvette revved into life and drove away from the house and towards the hospital.

Sighing, Tails went out into the backyard and glanced around, before finally calling out: "He's gone, Sonic. You can come out now."

With a delighted laugh, Sonic rose up from his crouching position from behind the plants and walked over to Tails, slapping his best friend on the shoulder as he walked into the house. "Well done, buddy. Everything went according to plan," he gloated in such a conniving tone that even Mephiles would find creepy.

"Shadow knows you planned for this to happen, Sonic," Tails informed the hedgehog as he entered the house behind him. Sonic laughed once more and dropped onto the couch, placing his feet on the coffee table and spreading his arms over the sofa.

"Relax, Tails. Shadow will thank me for this one day, you'll see," he assured the two-tailed fox, grinning confidently. Tails frowned, shaking his head at Sonic's self-assurance.

"You do remember that Shadow's going to get his casts removed, right?" he asked. "That means he'll be at full strength when he comes back here."

Sonic fell off the sofa in shocked realization.

"How does it feel, Mr. Shadow?" Dr. Anura asked, watching Shadow expectantly as the black hedgehog got off the bed and gingerly landed on both legs. Shadow flexed the fingers of his left hand, swinging his arm slowly up and down and bending it back and forth. He then looked down at his feet, shifting the weight of his body to his right foot and back to his left a few times before lifting his right leg and bending it a few times as well. Finally, he set his foot back down on the linoleum floor.

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><p>"How does it feel, Mr. Shadow?" the tree frog repeated. The Ultimate Lifeform smirked in satisfaction as he looked up from his left hand at the doctor.<p>

"As good as new," he replied casually. "Though the smell of plaster is a bit annoying. Nonetheless, I am grateful for your assistance, Doctor. Thank you."

The doctor pretended to blush. "Oh stop. If you keep talking like that, I'm going to feel really bad about charging you." He laughed and jotted down a few notes on his clipboard before turning his attention back to Shadow, and the bat, Rouge.

"Well, that's that. Just pay on your way out, and you won't ever have to see the inside of this place again," stated the physician jovially.

"Hopefully," Rouge added, laughing. Dr. Anura laughed with her in agreement.

"Yes, hopefully." He gave a nod and headed to the door to make his departure. However, he stopped with his hand on the golden doorknob, turning around to face his patient and his friend. He looked at Shadow and Rouge curiously. "Forgive me if I'm being impertinent, but why didn't that blue hedgehog come with you today, Mr. Shadow? He's always accompanied you here. Why not today?"

Shadow's mouth tightened into a thin line at the doctor's words, but he didn't unleash his frustration on the poor amphibian. "It seems he had more pressing matters to attend to," Shadow answered in an apparently neutral tone. "Either that, or he forgot."

"Ah, I see." The frog nodded his head in understanding. He looked at Rouge. "Which is why you're girlfriend is here, I suppose?" ******

Silence.

The doctor did not seem to notice that he said anything out of the ordinary, simply watching Shadow and Rouge innocently. It was fortunate that Shadow's expression had already been one of annoyance before the frog had said those fateful words; otherwise the latter would have seen the effect they had on Shadow. Rouge, however, did not seem annoyed or offended. Indeed, as was her nature, she maintained her flirtatious manner and laughed good-naturedly.

"Oh no, we're not a couple," she corrected. Dr. Anura's eyes widened in embarrassment.

"I am so sorry," he began hurriedly. "I just assumed…"

Rouge laughed once more, her expression indicating that she was not insulted by the doctor's words. "Don't worry, it was a simple mistake, we understand. Right, Shadow?" She glanced at the black hedgehog, who merely nodded stiffly in agreement.

"Although," Rouge suddenly began, linking her arm around Shadow's right one and pulling him closer to lean her head against his shoulder. "We _would_ make a cute couple, wouldn't we, Shadow?" she teased, looking up slyly at the male hedgehog.

"Let go," Shadow deadpanned.

"'Kay," replied Rouge obediently, letting go off Shadow and laughing. Dr. Anura smiled at them.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Shadow and Rouge stepped out of the hospital doors into the bright sunlight, having just finished with the duties that Dr. Anura had informed them to complete before their departure. Now that they were out, Rouge turned an amiable face to her compadre and spoke.<p>

"Alright, Shadow. Now that you're casts are off, we've got to go celebrate," she told him in a tone reminiscent of a general preparing his troops for battle. "So, what's the first thing you want to do?"

"This," Shadow replied simply.

And he folded his arms across his chest.

_Aah, that feels so much better,_ Shadow reflected enjoyably.

Rouge blinked at him, slightly dumbfounded at his action.

"Err, okay. Anything else you want to do?" she asked uncertainly, watching him as if worried for his sanity. Shadow raised his head to the cloudless sky, contemplating.

"No," he replied finally, swiveling around and marching away from the hospital. Rouge rolled her eyes and followed her ebony partner, striding at a brisk pace to walk beside him.

"Aw come on, there's got to be something you want to do to celebrate," she pressed. "How about we go have a drink?"

Shadow grunted in denial.

Rouge smirked. _Worth a shot,_ she thought.

"Or we could go torture Sonic, now that you're fully healed and everything," she continued. Rouge couldn't help but smile as Shadow actually considered her offer. She had meant it as a joke, but the black hedgehog was clearly intent in paying Sonic back for "soiling Shadow's pride", as the anti-hero had often stated.

Shadow suddenly smirked humorously.

"Maybe some other time," he replied, continuing his march. Rouge followed beside him, still trying to persuade Shadow to "have some fun".

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: It's short. Deal with it.<strong>

**** Who else smacked their hand against their forehead here?**


	14. Chapter 13: The Hunt For The Emerald

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13: The Hunt For The Emerald<strong>

A soft creaking preceded the opening of the door; tired, brown eyes looked up from the multitude of papers on the desk, the brown eyebrows crinkling as the slightly aged face met the black-furred one. A smile stretched across the man's tanned face as he rose to his feet, extending his hand out for the black hedgehog to clasp. As they shook, Shadow looked up through scarlet eyes at the GUN Chief, head of the division where Shadow was assigned; a tall, imperial man in his late forties, with his cropped brown hair graying at the sides.

"Agent Shadow," the Chief nodded, the exhausted gleam in his eye replaced with one of delight. "I see you're back to full strength now. Such a pleasure. Your absence has been significantly discouraging."

Shadow smirked faintly in arrogance. It wasn't that the Chief was sweet-talking him or sucking up to him; his words held truth in them. Shadow wasn't one to brag but, he _was_ one of GUN's top agents. The majority of the organization's most perilous tasks were usually assigned to Shadow (and Rouge, but he didn't pay attention to that) to complete. Not many people got a kick out of risking their lives to earn a living, but then, when you were a being with vast power and "programmed" for violence and destruction, such occurrences were the only fitting thing for you.

Letting go off Shadow's hand, the Chief took his seat and gestured to Shadow to take the one opposite him. As the onyx-colored hedgehog seated himself, the GUN official slid the documents on his desk to the side and leaned forward, propping his arms up on the table and intertwining his fingers. He watched Shadow like an uncle surveying his favorite nephew.

"Now then, Agent Shadow, what brings you here?"

"I would think it obvious, Chief. I've come for my next assignment."

The man's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "Barely a day has gone by since you have fully recovered, and you're already asking me to send you on a mission? Heheh. I expected as such," he admitted, still surveying the Ultimate Lifeform. "However, to be honest, I didn't really think you'd do that. Are you sure you don't want to spend a little more time recuperating? There's nothing going on right now that someone else couldn't handle. If you want to take a few more days off -."

Shadow waved a hand to interrupt the Chief's words. "I've rested enough," he assured, albeit rather tersely. "My job is to protect this world, not relax. Now," he leaned forward in his seat, "what is my next assignment?"

The Chief smiled at Shadow's resolve. "Well then, if you're so adamant about getting back to work, I'll see what I can find for you." He gestured to the door. "Until then, go enjoy yourself."

Shadow nodded, resisting the urge to argue, and simply rose to his feet and went out the door. The Chief leaned back in his seat and smiled appreciatively. It was always business with that hedgehog. Shadow always came in the morning, asked for his next mission, completed it, handed in the report, and departed. All without any idle chit-chat or "goofing off". He was efficient, determined, and ruthless; the very qualities that made him one of the best agents in GUN.

_Enjoy myself?_ Shadow repeated in disgust as he stepped out of the GUN headquarters and activated his Air Shoes. _Tch. I'm the Ultimate Lifeform. I don't "enjoy myself". Ridiculous._ Propelling himself across the pavement and away from the building, Shadow skated across the city, wondering how best to occupy himself until the Chief had found a task for him. Without conscious thought or decision, his feet automatically led him to one of his favorite locations in the city.

Soon he was standing beneath a large, leafy tree, his gloved hand pressed against the rough bark of the trunk. Crimson orbs swiveled sideways, taking in the sight of the large, lush meadow with a small pond in the center. The gentle breeze would speed up every few minutes, causing the floral life before him to sway at its mercy; the invisible force would collide with Shadow's face each time, allowing him to experience the soothing and cool sensation. This was where he "lived", his "home" that he mentioned to Tails a month ago.

Shadow blinked in realization. Had it really been a month since he had been injured? It didn't seem as long now that he thought back. Nearly all the days at Sonic and Tails' house had been eventful, even if most of them had tried Shadow's patience. He didn't miss them (who missed the days when they were injured?), but he didn't think he'd forget them anytime soon. They were… "memorable", in their own way.

The jet-black hedgehog's thoughts were interrupted by a loud whirring sound, a sound he recognized immediately to be the sound of a helicopter's revolving rotors. Shadow turned to the sound as, sure enough, a black helicopter bearing the GUN insignia landed on the grass. The hedgehog waited patiently as the pilot disembarked, recognizing the Mobian immediately.

It was Rouge.

"There you are, Shadow," Rouge said in a satisfied tone. "Tails just contacted me. He says he's detected the energy signature of another Chaos Emerald not too far from here. He wants me and you to go get it."

"Can't Sonic handle it?"

"He could. But he's still out on his morning run."

Shadow snorted in contempt. "That blue fool is always out running. I'm surprised he even stops to sleep or eat, much less save the world."

Rouge laughed good-naturedly. "Shall we get going?" she posed, heading back to the helicopter. Shadow followed, surveying the chopper in interest.

"And where exactly did you get this helicopter?" Shadow asked curiously.

"Oh, you know… From GUN," Rouge answered evasively, not looking at Shadow as she started up the aircraft. Shadow smirked and got into the passenger seat beside Rouge, buckling himself in.

Rouge then took the controls in hand, and they were off. The black copter lifted into the air and began swooping over the land to their destination. Shadow glanced down at the numerous trees whizzing below them, the vegetation getting thicker as they flew, indicating the increased distance Rouge was putting between themselves and the city. Very soon, the forests below had transformed into a swamp.

It was here that Rouge redirected the helicopter's flight path, leading them to a formation of yellow rocks. No. Not rocks. Shadow peered more closely at their destination. It was not a rock formation. It was ruin of some type of temple, its walls and roof having long collapsed, with only its foundation left intact. The "temple" was situated in the very heart of the quagmire, in a stretch of tree-less expanse surrounded by sickly-looking trees, exotic vegetation, and muddy waters. With the skill of an ace pilot, Rouge maneuvered down to the ruins and landed the bird gently and adroitly on top of the rubble.

The two GUN agents exited the machine, stepping onto the layer of stone, concrete, and limestone that comprised of the rubble beneath them. Shadow examined his surroundings. Whenever this temple had been standing, it had no doubt been a vast structure; now, however, it was merely a pile of eroding stone.

"The Chaos Emerald is here?" Shadow confirmed, still scrutinizing the ruins. Rouge nodded in affirmation.

"Yes. Somewhere in this rubble, to be more exact. Tails couldn't be more specific, unfortunately. All this thick, sturdy material made it nearly impossible to detect the Emerald's signature. He says it was pure chance he came across it."

"It always is," Shadow remarked, stepping over a portion of what he assumed to be the roof and continuing his inspection. At the moment, they were situated at what would have once been the third floor of the temple, judging from the two other levels beneath them. And just like with this level, the others were also covered in collapsed walls and ceilings. Rouge was right. Wherever the Emerald was, it was most likely buried under all this debris. The hedgehog eventually sighed and looked over at Rouge. "Well then, I suppose we had best start looking."

With a nod, Rouge headed off in one direction while Shadow turned to the opposite side, beginning their search for the Chaos Emerald.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

And still they had found nothing.

"Aagghh!" Rouge cried in frustration, collapsing onto a rock and using it as a seat. She gripped her head in aggravation. "This is taking forever! Ugh!" She kicked a pebble to vent her emotions. "Where's that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald?" She looked over her shoulder in the direction Shadow was searching. "Hey, Shadow, any luc -?"

She stopped when she Shadow standing at the edge of the floor they were on. He was looking down intently at something on the level below. At the bat's words, the black hedgehog turned his head to her and placed a finger to his lips, indicating that she should be silent. Curious, Rouge got up and crept up silently beside her partner. She then glanced down over the edge at whatever Shadow was looking at.

And gasped in surprise.

Beneath them, searching lethargically through the debris was a modified Black Arm soldier.

"A Black Arm?" Rouge whispered in both surprise and annoyance. Shadow smiled grimly.

"Well. At least now we can be certain the Emerald _is_ here," he remarked.

"What do we do?" Rouge asked, glancing at Shadow uncertainly. "Do we fight, or do we wait for back-up?"

It was understandable why Rouge was asking this question. After all, one of them alone could not beat these new Black Arms, and two certainly wasn't enough. Sure, Tails had been working on some new "Anti-Black Arm" weaponry, and yes, Shadow and Rouge were equipped with some; but the creatures were no doubt as determined to obtain possession of the Emeralds as the Mobians were. Tails' weapons could only weaken the Black Arms, not kill them; they were too powerful for that.

Shadow studied the Black Arm. This was the second one he had seen since the incident at the EMPH base, and though it bore a resemblance to its brother, this Black Arm was noticeably different. It was a digitigrade creature, while the first had been a plantigrade. Its head was much larger than the first's, this time more proportionate with its comparatively smaller and less burly body. The head was the same red shade as the rest of its body, though it lacked the goat-like horns, instead possessing a row of forward-swept spikes on its head and running down its spine to its long, snake-like tail. The creature was a partial-quadruped, its arms assisting it in a walking style reminiscent of a chimpanzee or gorilla's knuckle-walking style. The black legs ended in bird-like talons, while the black arms hosted terrifying, foot-long claws. The Black Arm's yellow eyes were still pale and lifeless as it lifted debris after debris, peering under it for the precious gemstone it sought.

"Shadow, what do we do? Should we wait for back-up?" Rouge repeated, this time in a more earnest tone.

Shadow smirked. His eyes still locked on the unaware Black Arm, he pulled out a foot long, silver two-handed gun with blue trimmings.

"Yes and no," he replied, cocking the weapon with a bloodthirsty glint in his blood-red eyes. "You call. I'll stall."

And with that pronouncement, he leaped off the edge and straight at the unsuspecting Black Arm. The creature was completely oblivious of Shadow until the hedgehog landed directly on its hunched-up back. The beast then swiveled its head to eye Shadow in irritation. But before it could react, Shadow had fired a round from his gun into the creature's shoulder. The 9mm bullet collided with the creature's crocodile-hard scales and shattered to release a small burst of sizzling, green acid. The Black Arm snarled in pain and rage as it stumbled slightly.

_Show-off_, Rouge remarked with a smile as Shadow leaped off the Black Arm and dashed away from it. She consulted the communicator on her wrist and connected to Tails' computer.

"Tails, come in. We've got trouble…"

"Graaahhh!" the Black Arm roared at Shadow, taking a swipe at the black hedgehog. Shadow evaded easily and smirked deridingly at the creature.

"Grrrr," it snarled through gritted teeth at Shadow's dodge.

"Brilliant comeback," Shadow answered sarcastically, firing another bullet at the beast's leg. It hit its mark, just above the knee, crippling the beast long enough for Shadow to rush underneath it and fire another round at its chest. The Black Arm hissed in pain and clutched its burnt chest, slamming its other hand down at Shadow. Or at least, the spot where Shadow had been a second earlier. The black hedgehog was now several yards to the Black Arm's left, watching it with an amused smirk.

_This one is much slower than the first one_, he observed with interest. _And it seems physically weaker as well_.

"Hyaah!"

With a battle cry, Rouge landed steel boots-first on the Black Arm's head, snapping its cranium downwards before flipping over it to land beside Shadow.

"I contacted Tails. He says he'll be here in a few minutes," she told him, focusing on the Black Arm. The beast was slowly rising back to its feet, growling in anger.

"Well then, let's keep this thing from finding the Emerald until then," Shadow suggested, gripping his gun more firmly before rushing at the Black Arm.

As he approached it, the creature snarled in fury and erected onto its hind legs, placing all its weight on its dinosaur-like limbs. In its hands, it held a large piece of rubble, which it brutally tossed at the oncoming Shadow. The black hedgehog dodged easily and the Black Arm roared in anger, tossing another one at Shadow, only for him to avoid it as well. It was so preoccupied with throwing debris at Shadow that it didn't realize the hedgehog had gotten so close to it. As the Black Arm lifted another portion of rubble from the pile and began to lift it above its head, Shadow leaped onto the rock and aimed his gun at the beast's face before pulling the trigger. The bullet flew at the Black Arm's vulnerable face, but unfortunately missed: the startled beast had pulled its head out of the way just in time.

Snarling in annoyance, Shadow made to push off the rock he was on, but not before the beast swept a hand through the air and wrapped it tightly around the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow grunted in aggravation as the beast lifted him close to its face, a look of childish pleasure etched on its horrendous face. Shadow simply smirked at it, not even bothering to struggle. This response puzzled the Black Arm, but it did not have time to contemplate as a small figure in a pink and black jumpsuit landed on its head and fired a bullet directly into its face.

The Black Arm howled in pain and released Shadow, who landed nimbly on the ground (or rubble) before backing away from the thrashing beast. He nodded up at Rouge in recognition of her actions. Rouge smiled down at her partner and nodded back.

"GRRAAAAHHH!"

The two GUN agents turned startled gazes to the raging Black Arm, which was roaring wildly at them. Its eyes were still shut tight in pain, but its expression conveyed the fury it felt. Before either Shadow or Rouge could react, the Black Arm opened its mouth wide and pointed it at the two of them, a crackling sphere of purple energy forming between its shark-like teeth. Shadow's eyes could only widen in shock before the sphere exploded into a wide beam of purple energy, flying straight at the two Mobians, piercing through the debris in front and underneath like a blade.

_Shit!_ was all Shadow could think before he was blasted backwards by the attack. He flew through the air and slammed violently into a tilted pillar. The aged structure crumpled from the impact and rained its fragments all over a disoriented Shadow. The ebony hedgehog rose to his feet with a groan, clutching his spinning head, his entire body sore. He shot a glance to his right at an equally injured Rouge, who was also rising to her feet.

"You alright?" Shadow called once the world had slowly stopped spinning.

Rouge nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright," she responded, though in a weaker tone than Shadow's. She glanced up at the Black Arm, and her azure eyes unexpectedly widened. "Shadow, look!" she suddenly cried out, pointing. Shadow followed her finger, and felt his heart drop.

The green Chaos Emerald was lying right at the Black Arm's feet.


	15. Chapter 14: The Seventh Chaos Emerald

**Author's Note: There was a plot hole in the previous chapter. Did anyone spot it?**

**_To Killing Kathy: _That "me and I" part was a typo, one that's been corrected. Thanks for pointing it out.**

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: The Seventh Chaos Emerald<strong>

"The Chaos Emerald!" Rouge gasped. "No!"

Her cry of disbelief issued just as the Black Arm lowered a clawed hand at the Emerald and scooped it lovingly from the debris. He raised the glowing gemstone to its face, smiling stupidly in pleasure. It continued to gaze at the Emerald, as if transfixed by its radiant beauty. Truth be told, it looked a lot like Rouge did when she caressed a Chaos Emerald, or any other precious jewel, in her arms. It was quite a pathetic sight, really.

"Hrrr," the Black Arm purred in a soft voice, still surveying the jewel. Shadow grimaced and charged at the creature, activating his Air Shoes' propulsion system and increasing the output as high as he could. He moved so fast, the captivated Black Arm did not notice him approaching. Its attention was captured by Shadow, however, when he whizzed past its hand, snatching the Emerald into his own and skating away. The Black Arm screamed furiously and galloped after Shadow, all four limbs slamming over the "floor" as it chased the being brave enough to steal from it. Shadow glanced over shoulder and found, to his dismay, that the Black Arm was actually gaining on him. Its fury was so great that Shadow could actually feel the waves of its anger flooding over him. And it only seemed to be getting angrier as it chased him.

_I get it now_, Shadow thought grimly in sudden enlightenment. _This Black Arm… The angrier it gets, the faster and stronger it gets._

It made sense. The beast had only launched that devastating blast Shadow and Rouge's way after being aggravated enough. And now, the vigor at which it chased after Shadow was augmented by its anger at Shadow. It should to reason that, the longer this battle occurred, the more deadly the Black Arm would become. However, prolonging the battle was all Shadow and Rouge could do at the moment; at least until help arrived.

_Tch! What a nuisance_, Shadow continued irritably.

And then it hit him. Not a further revelation; but the creature itself. It lunged at Shadow, covering the distance between them in one bound and attempting to snatch the Emerald out of the hedgehog's grasp. The large hand swatted a surprised Shadow effortlessly out of the way. The Chaos Emerald slipped out of his grasp as he flew through the air once more. Fortunately, Shadow did not slam into another pillar this time. Rouge arrived just in time to intercept Shadow's path and catch him, laying him gently back onto the ground. Meanwhile, the beast grabbed the Emerald in its hand once more and skidded to a stop, roaring triumphantly.

"I won't give in that easily!" Shadow growled, pointing his firearm at the Black Arm and launching a bullet at the hand holding the Emerald. The beast dodged it, however, and made a gurgling sound from its throat at Shadow that sounded like laughter. However, its boasting was short-lived, as Rouge used the Black Arm's carelessness to swoop in from behind and seize the Emerald from it. With a flap of her leathery wings, Rouge took off into the air, gaining altitude quickly and easily slipping out of the Black Arm's reach.

Shadow grinned in satisfaction. Alright, not they might just be able to hold it off long enough until Tails got -.

"HRROOAARR!"

With a mighty roar, the Black Arm spread its arms wide. With a ruffling sound, enormous bat-like wings erupted from under its arms. A stunned and speechless Shadow watched as the Black Arm flapped its winged arms and shot into the air after the ascending, and unaware Rouge.

"ROUGE!"

"HRROOAARR!"

"What the -?" Rouge exclaimed, twisting her head around just in time to see the monstrous beast shooting up at her. With a cry of horror, the bat flapped her wings and dashed out of its path, trying to get some distance between herself and the Black Arm. The beast, however, was relentless. It turned in mid-flight and swooped down after Rouge, its muzzle wide open with drool trailing out. Shadow watched helplessly from the ground as the Black Arm quickly gained on Rouge. It was faster, more agile, and more powerful than Rouge. She couldn't outrun at this rate.

The Black Arm opened its mouth wider and lunged at Rouge -.

"ROUGE! DROP IT!"

Shadow's command only took a nanosecond to achieve its full meaning in Rouge's mind. The bat immediately let go off the Chaos Emerald in her hand and swerved away. As Shadow had hoped, the Black Arm's attention was instantly diverted from Rouge to the falling Emerald. Folding its wings, the Black Arm dropped into a dive after the gemstone, while on the ground Shadow dashed forward to intercept it as well. The Emerald descended, with Shadow and the Black Arm gaining on it…

"Hrrooaaarr!"

With a triumphant bellow, the Black Arm swiped the Emerald from the air and into its hand. Shadow cursed at the sight, and made to get out of the way, but he was too late; the Black Arm returned to earth with a mighty crash, uplifting the debris around it and sending Shadow flying from the impact of its landing. For the third time, Shadow flew through the air. And this time, he did not crash into any rubble; nor did Rouge grab him in mid-flight. He sailed clear over the rubble -.

- and straight into a pool of murky water.

The impact disorientated Shadow instantly, making him lose sense of his surroundings and situation. With heavy eyes drooping, he began to sink to the bottom of the lake, his vision swimming. But he had barely sunk more than two feet when a pair of gloved hands plunged into the muddy water and wrapped themselves around his arms, pulling him out of the water. The swamp air hit his face like, well, a splash of water, rousing him immediately. The panting of his savior told him it was Rouge. The white bat set him carefully on the bank of the lake, landing beside him and breathing in exhaustion, not from having to carry Shadow, but from the battle. Coughing slightly, Shadow turned narrowed eyes up to where the Black Arm stood, looking in an almost condescending manner at them. With a malicious glint in its eye, the Black Arm opened its mouth and tossed the Emerald into it.

And neither Shadow nor Rouge could do anything about it.

The beast raised its head to the sky and roared triumphantly, as if celebrating. Shadow glanced at Rouge, asking her the silent question: "Where is he?"; referring no doubt to Tails. But Rouge did not answer. Instead, she rose to her feet and reached into her jumpsuit, searching for something with an urgent air. Finally, she brought her clenched fist before her face, smiling down at whatever was in her hand.

"Got it!" she exclaimed in relief.

At that very moment, a bright yellow aura began emitting from the Black Arm as it continued howling in celebration. The light from the aura intensified, causing Shadow to bring a hand to his face to shield his eyes. Rouge, however, kept her gaze on the beast, squinting at it as she judged the distance. With a swing of her arm, she tossed a small coin-sized disk at the Black Arm. The object stuck to its leg, but the creature did not seem to notice. With a final roar, the Black Arm vanished from the area.

Shadow, unaware of what Rouge had just done, lowered his hand and, upon seeing that the Black Arm had escaped, punched the ground in anger. "Damn it! It got away!"

Rouge opened her mouth to inform Shadow of her actions, but she was interrupted by the sound of a plane engine roaring over them. The black hedgehog and the white bat looked up together as a large, blue and yellow plane soared towards them and landed before them. In the pilot's seat sat a dismayed Tails, while the seat behind him was occupied by a glum Sonic.

"It got away, huh?" Sonic asked gloomily, getting out of the plane and glancing around.

"You took your sweet time," Shadow barked in anger. Sonic did not argue or flare up at Shadow's tone.

"I know. We're sorry," he admitted, his tone suitably apologetic. Shadow snorted in irritation and turned away from the remorseful hedgehog.

Tails turned anxiously to Rouge. "Did you manage to place the tracker?" he asked her. Rouge nodded at him, resulting in the fox smiling in relief.

"Tracker?" Shadow repeated, turning back to the others. "What tracker?"

Tails raised a finger a meaningfully. "You remember, don't you, Shadow? I told you how I was working on a tracking beacon that would let us follow the Black Arms wherever they warped to after a confrontation."

Shadow nodded, suddenly remembering the long and tiresome lecture the genius fox had given him.

"Tails gave me one when he told me about this Emerald," Rouge continued, drawing Shadow's gaze to her. "He told me to attach it to the Black Arm when if it tried to escape, and I did."

Shadow tilted his head confusion.

"But when did you -?"

"Right when it was about to teleport away. When it was glowing, I kept my eyes open and threw the beacon at it. It stuck of the Black Arm's leg."

"And now," Tails began, turning to the computer console of his plane, "we'll know exactly where the Black Arm warped to." He was silent for a few seconds while he brought up a new image on the display and examined it. A second later, he smiled victoriously and snapped his fingers. "Got it! It's in a desert nearby. I've got the coordinates locked."

"Great," Sonic remarked in appreciation, nodding at his little friend. "We should head there right now. You guys coming?" He turned inquiringly to Shadow and Rouge, who nodded silently in agreement. Sonic grinned. "Alright then, let's get going." And with that, he leapt back into his seat in the Tornado while Shadow and Rouge retreated back to their helicopter. This time, Shadow took the flight stick in hand and lifted the machine back into the air and after the Tornado. The helicopter was nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the Tornado, so Tails had to keep his speed low for the two GUN agents to keep up.

_Now we'll see who's behind all this_, Shadow thought in determination, leaning back in his seat as he steered the chopper after the blue and yellow plane. His body was still sore from the Black Arm's merciless tosses, but he had not suffered any fatal or debilitating damage this time. Wherever they were headed, if they had to fight (and they most likely would), then Shadow was prepared for it. He wondered about Rouge, though, as he was aware that she was not as resilient as the Ultimate Lifeform.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at his partner, noting that, aside from looking a little out of breath, she was otherwise fine. It seemed that she too was prepared, both mentally and physically, for any future battles that may occur. Shadow would have expected nothing from Rouge the Bat; she was, after all, a top GUN agent and one that was always facing perilous situations. And because of this, she was toughened person, able to handle every onerous task thrown her way. Well, maybe not _every_ task.

They flew for close to an hour, leaving the marshlands behind them. The vegetation underneath began to thin out, becoming more sparse, until it had vanished completely to be replaced by a seemingly endless stretch of sand. They soared over sand dunes at a hurried pace, the two shadows of the two flying machines dancing over the sandy surface below. The glare of the Sun was getting fiercer as they flew, as if the star had come closer to the planet upon their arrival in the desert.

Through the radio in the helicopter, Shadow and Rouge suddenly heard Tails' youthful voice speak up.

"Approaching the coordinates…," it started in concentration, "… NOW!"

Shadow and Rouge looked up through the cockpit window as they flew over a large sand dune to catch a glimpse of their destination. They had arrived.

It was massive: a single tower, rising up from the sand and stretching into the cloudless sky as if attempting to pierce it. At first glance, the structure seemed to be made of dark gray concrete, but a second glance allowed one to see the faint shine on the walls that indicated the tower to be made of metal. The top of the tower was flat, with four spiked pillars protruding skywards from the edges. The entire tower had a skeletal look to it, giving it a sinister air. It looked like the base of some demonic entity. Shadow had never seen anything like it before. He was half-surprised that a flock of ravens weren't flying around the structure, or that dark clouds weren't swirling in the sky above it.

But there was one feature of the tower that stuck out like a sore thumb to the four Mobians; something they recognized immediately. Sonic, who hand lounging in his seat, leaned forward and grinned. He glanced at Tails humbly.

"Well, Tails, looks like you were right," he acknowledged.

The tower held the insignia of Doctor Eggman on it.


	16. Chapter 15: Doctor Eggman's Base

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: Doctor Eggman's Base<strong>

"So Eggman's been behind this all along," Rouge noted, eyeing the tower with narrowed eyes. Shadow smirked.

"It's always Eggman."

The Ultimate Lifeform steered the helicopter around to a sand dune, descending to the surface with Tails performing the same action. The two aircraft landed on the soft sand gently, and one by one the occupants exited the vehicles. All four Mobians gathered together and turned as one to look at the towering structure, the latest base of Doctor Eggman.

"Looks like ol' Eggman's up to no good again," Sonic stated, as if it wasn't obvious already. An amused smile spread across his mouth. "And like always, he's after the Chaos Emeralds."

"Only this time, he's using modified clones of the Black Arms to do his dirty work," Rouge added. She glanced at Shadow, who was silently watching the tower with an expressionless visage. Perhaps Rouge expected Shadow to display some form of anger or disgust that Eggman was using his "brothers" for his own evil deeds. If so, she was not receiving any such reaction from the black hedgehog. Shadow just stood there with his arms folded in front of his chest in his signature pose.

"What are we gonna do, Sonic?" Tails asked worriedly, switching his gaze from the tower to his sapphire friend.

Sonic smiled at his friend. "Simple. We get in, grab the Emeralds, and get out," he announced in a confident tone.

"So basically the exact same plan you had for the assault on the EMPH base?" Shadow sneered maliciously, still not averting his gaze from the base. "And we _all_ know how well that turned out."

Sonic grimaced at his darker counterpart. "You got any better ideas? We can't just ignore Eggman when we know he's up to something."

The ebony hedgehog did not reply immediately, instead taking his time, as if he were deliberating. Finally, he shook his head slowly. "No, I don't. In fact..." He turned a meaningful gaze to his blue rival. "I agree with you."

Sonic blinked. "Come again?"

"I agree with you. Now that we know who's behind all this, we cannot waste anymore time. We have to stop Eggman quickly, before his plans come to fruition."

"But how?" Tails asked, still sounding worried as he looked over at the tall structure in the distance. "We can't just go barging in. There are at least _three_ Black Arms in there; we wouldn't stand a chance."

The others were silent, aware that the fox cub had made a valid point. There were indeed at least three Black Arms somewhere in that base: one which they had encountered at the EMPH base, one which Tails had found robbing the museum, and one which Shadow and Rouge had just been battling earlier. And all of them had been extremely powerful and tough. The four of them, as Tails had put it so aptly, "wouldn't stand a chance".

"Well then, we'll just have to get more of us," Sonic remarked, drawing everyone's attention to him. He nodded to Tails. "Tails, you head back to the city and get us as much Anti-Black Arm tech as you can. And while you're at it, see if you can round up some extra hands to help us. Knuckles, the Chaotix; anyone you can find."

"What will you three do until then?" Tails asked, glancing at Shadow and Rouge.

"We'll stay hidden and keep an eye on Eggman's base, see if he tries anything." Sonic smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, buddy, we'll stay out of trouble."

An unconvinced Tails slowly looked from Sonic, to Shadow, to Rouge, and back to Sonic. These three? Stay out of trouble? That was impossible. Rouge was always getting in trouble because of jewels and other precious items; and when Chaos Emeralds came into the equation, who knew what kind of trouble she would get herself into. Shadow, well, while he was probably the most sensible and rational one here, he was no less likely to land himself in danger. A simple insult to his pride or mockery of his skills was enough to make him initiate a battle. And Eggman had achieved this effect on Shadow numerous times in the past, all through different methods. As for Sonic, well… He was perhaps the most hopeless case from all of them. He didn't get into trouble from arrogance or obsessions, but because of his playful attitude. His thrill of adventure and excitement often left him biting off more than he could chew.

In short, Tails was highly skeptical that any of the three could actually "stay out of trouble", but he wasn't going to bring it up or argue with Sonic. The blue hedgehog had made a sound decision, and Tails was going to follow it.

"Alright, I'll do it," he asserted, nodding his head and climbing into the Tornado. "Leave it to me!" he continued in determination.

Sonic smiled in appreciation at his friend's resolve, throwing a nod and a thumbs-up his way.

Rouge entered the conversation at this point. "If we're gonna get backup, I'll call in the Chief and see if I can get him to send us reinforcements," she added, consulting the communicator hidden under her glove.

"Sounds like a plan," Sonic acknowledged.

While Rouge attempted to establish a link with the GUN HQ, Tails started up the plane and took off with a wave. As he vanished into the distance, Sonic turned to Shadow with a smile.

"And now," he began, sitting down on a rock and looking over at the tower, "we wait."

And so they waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Then they decided to spice it up a little by waiting some more.

Eventually, Sonic groaned in frustration and leaned back on his rock-turned-seat.

"Ugh! This is so BORING!" he complained loudly. He glanced at Shadow. "How long have we been waiting, anyway?"

"Eight minutes," Shadow replied curtly without making eye contact. Though it had been closer to six minutes, but Shadow hadn't really been counting. _He _could stay idle for more than five minutes without throwing a tantrum. After all, he'd spent fifty years in a capsule. Six minutes were nothing compared to that.

Sonic groaned once more, but did not say anything further. Shadow took this opportunity to turn to Rouge, who was muttering to herself as she tapped the communicator on her wrist in aggravation.

"Had any luck?" Shadow asked cautiously, though the answer to his question was as clear as the sky above. For the past eight (six) minutes, Rouge had been trying, and failing, to connect to the GUN headquarters. She was, needless to say, slightly irritable at the moment.

"No, I haven't," Rouge snapped fiercely. "Now stop pestering me."

Correction: she was _very_ irritable.

"I've tried every frequency I know, but I can't get a signal to HQ," Rouge sighed in defeat, finally giving up and lowering her arm to look at Shadow and Sonic. The blue hedgehog sat up straight on his rock and looked curiously at Rouge.

"Doesn't GUN have like, long-range satellites-thingies for these kinds of situations?" he asked, looking from one Gun agent to the other inquiringly.

Rouge nodded in reply. "Yes, they do, but I've already tried those," she affirmed. "It looks like we won't be contacting GUN. Not from here, at least."

Shadow spoke up at this point, his voice drawing Sonic and Rouge's eyes to his back. "It seems the Doctor is jamming our communicators," he observed, still looking at the base ahead and not at his comrades. "I doubt we'll be able to contact anyone, not even Tails."

Sonic's eyes narrowed. "You mean he knows we're here?"

Shadow slowly shook his head. "No. It may just be a precautionary measure, to ensure he doesn't get any uninvited guests. Like us."

Sonic glanced at the tower, no doubt wondering what they were going to do next.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait for Tails to -."

"Guys, look!" Rouge suddenly cried out from behind them.

The two hedgehogs spun around to follow the bat's gaze, and simultaneously frowned as the sand before them began rising up slowly. From the desert floor emerged three towering Black Arms: the same ones they had encountered before. Each of the imposing beasts snarled at the three Mobians, sand streaming down their shoulders as they rose to their full heights.

Sonic grinned in amusement and glanced at Shadow. "Nope. He definitely knows we're here," he remarked, getting into a battle pose.

Shadow narrowed his crimson eyes, evaluating their opponents. The Black Arm on the left was the first one they had encountered, while the one on the right was the third version. Therefore, the one in the middle was the Black Arm that only Sonic and Tails had fought. The one Shadow had yet to see in person. Until now, that is.

Shadow gave it a quick look-over, taking in its prominent features. It was the tallest of the three, yet the thinnest as well. Its form was lanky, with its stick-like arms and legs all multi-jointed like an insect's. Unlike its brethren, it did not have any horns or spikes on its head, instead possessing a head-plate reminiscent of a Triceratops', protruding out from the back of its skull. It hands and feet were clawed like its brothers', and it had the same dead, light yellow eyes. The entirety of its body was a black color, with only its head having the scarlet coloring. Lastly, it had a pair of curved blades growing out from its wrists, extending nearly four feet in length.

"Man, seeing all of these guys together sure is a frightening sight," Sonic stated, though his tone was far from terrified. "I may just wet myself in fear; if I had pants, of course."

Neither Rouge nor Shadow could reply to these (disgusting) words, for at that moment the middle Black Arm charged at them, swinging the enormous blade on one its hands at them. The three Mobians scattered wordlessly, and then each Black Arm went after a Mobian. Rouge got the flying one, Sonic was matched up against the bladed one, while Shadow faced off against the bulky one.

The three Black Arms threw attack after attack at their targets, missing narrowly when their opponents managed to dodge at the last second. The Mobians would launch their own attacks, but as expected, they barely did any damage; even their Anti-Black Arm guns could only weaken the creatures so much.

Shadow whipped out of the silver gun and aimed it at his Black Arm's face: the only weakness that they had been able to find in its otherwise impenetrable skin. If the other two had any weaknesses to exploit, they had yet to be discovered by any of the Mobians. However, at the very least, Shadow knew where to strike his opponent; and that gave him a tactical advantage.

The Ultimate Lifeform pulled the trigger on his firearm, and the bullet erupted from the end to go whizzing through the hot air at the Black Arm's face. However, the Black Arm seemed to realize what Shadow was planning, much to the hedgehog's dismay. It slid out of the way of the shot as opposed to taking it like itself and its brethren had been doing up until now. The beast pumped its fists gloatingly in the air before rushing at Shadow.

"Grrooaahh!"

Shadow skated out of the way just in time to avoid the huge fist that came crashing down on his position. As he dashed away, the sound of metal snapping issued from the behind the black hedgehog. Shadow turned around curiously to find that the Black Arm's fist had slammed onto the GUN helicopter he and Rouge had arrived in. With a roar of fury, the Black Arm crushed the chopper with another fist before pushing its smoking wreckage aside. Clearly, it had _not _been aiming for Shadow with that last attack.

"Well, there goes our ride back," Shadow commented grimly. Rouge heard his words and turned around to where the helicopter had been parked. Her eyes widened as she spotted the wrecked remains of the machine.

"Aw man!" she wailed. "The Chief's gonna be so pissed when he finds out what happened to his personal chopper!"

Sonic turned an incredulous gaze to Rouge. "The _Chief's_ chopper?" he repeated in disbelief, sliding out of the way of a vertical chop delivered by his adversary. "He let _you_ of all people borrow his helicopter?"

"Well, he didn't exactly let me "borrow" it…," Rouge replied evasively. Sonic laughed at her comment, while Shadow simply smirked knowingly.

The Black Arms continued their relentless assault, yet for some reason they could not seem to land a hit on any of their opponents. If they had been aiming to kill the three intruders, they would surely have succeeded by now; or at the very least be closer to achieving said result than they were now. It became apparent in seconds what their objective was, though. The Black Arms' attacks were simply pushing the three Mobians closer to Eggman's base. Whenever one of the Mobians began straying away from it, the "assigned" Black Arm would force him or her back to the others. It was through this procedure that Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge eventually ended up right in front of the entrance doors of the tower.

Sonic smirked as he glanced over his shoulder at the doors behind him, and then back at the three Black Arms.

"Man, these guys aren't exactly being subtle about their intentions, are they?" he called to the other two, dodging a horizontal swipe from his Black Arm.

"They're trying to force us into the tower," Rouge stated, flying up to her Black Arm and successfully managing to blast it in the face with her gun; a result which, unfortunately, only seemed to infuriate her opponent even further.

"Heh. Why don't we indulge the little children?" Sonic suggested, taking a step backwards and towards the door. As he expected, his Black Arm relaxed its stance ever so slightly, but regardless kept up its herding. Glancing at his comrades, Sonic jerked his head to the doors before dashing inside. Rouge and Shadow followed suit, passing through the doors and into the tower.

Outside, the three Black Arms relaxed, backing away from the door and gazing around mindlessly at their surroundings.

Inside, Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge found themselves in a large, circular room, facing an entire army of red, stocky Eggman robots. Sonic grinned arrogantly.

"Alright! Eggman robots. Now _these_ I can handle!"

With that, he leaped into the mass of metal and began attacking the robots. Shadow and Rouge threw each other exasperated glances before joining the fray. They punched, kicked, Spin-Dashed, Chaos Speared, and launched every variety of attack they knew at the robots, until finally the entire floor was littered with the damaged and smoking ruins of the defeated machines. Sonic dusted his hands while he stood at the top of a pile, grinning in triumph.

"Been a while since I kicked robot ass," he noted happily, leaping off the heap of defeated enemies and glancing approvingly at the wreckage. He then looked over at Shadow with a conceited grin. "I got fifty-three. How many did you get, Shadow?"

Before the black hedgehog could reply (not that he was going to anyway), Rouge interrupted, pointing a gloved finger at a nearby staircase that lead upwards. They were, in fact, the only visible way out of this room; apart from the doors they had just come through, of course.

"Since we're in here, we may as well try those stairs," Rouge proposed. "I'll bet they lead to the top of this tower."

"Where our lovely host awaits us, no doubt," Sonic added cheerfully. He grinned tauntingly at Shadow. "Race ya, Shadow. Last one to the top's the Ultimate Lifeform!"

Shadow narrowed his eyes and frowned. "But I'm the Ultimate Lifeform," he stated slowly.

Sonic winked slyly at him. "_Exactly_."

And he shot up the staircase.

"Why you -!" Shadow activated his Air Shoes and went after him.

_Those two_, Rouge thought in exasperation as she spread her wings and followed the two up the stairs.

The steps seemed to run to the very top of the tower, just as Rouge had predicted, twisting round and round until it finally reached a landing at the top. No doors or landings connected to the staircase as it rose endlessly to the top. Blank walls lined either side of the steps, but as mentioned no door tainted their simplicity; not even so much as a window. One was left assuming that, beyond the wall on one's right, were no doubt other rooms and levels which were accessed through another route.

Sonic and Shadow zoomed up the flight of stairs, one a blur of blue and the other of black. They ascended the staircase at an equal pace, neither staying ahead of the other for long. Eventually, they reached the top of the staircase, arriving on the upper landing at the exact same time. Panting slightly, the two hedgehogs glared at each other, uncertain as to who was the victor.

"Rouge, who won?" Sonic asked, turning around to face the bat, only to find that she had yet to reach the top of the staircase. Shadow blinked and looked down the curling staircase, waiting for Rouge to appear round the curved bend. The two had been so preoccupied by their race that they had completely forgotten that Rouge was there and couldn't very well keep up with them. They had also forgotten, for a short time, _why_ they were here and _where_ they were. All that had mattered to the two hedgehogs, really, was winning the race.

Eventually, Rouge did reach the landing, fluttering to the ground before Sonic and Shadow with irritation etched all over her face. She folded her arms across her chest and frowned at the two like an annoyed mother.

"You guys do know that I'm not as fast as you, right?" she snapped with a glare. Sonic grinned sheepishly.

"So, I'll take that to mean you don't know which one of us won? Ow! Not the face! Not the face!"

Shadow cleared his throat, making Rouge cease her attempts to hit Sonic. She and a cowering Sonic turned to face the Ultimate Lifeform.

"If you're done fooling around…" Shadow left his sentence hanging as he pointed to the only door on the floor. Like the majority of the base, it was made entirely of polished, gray metal. It lacked a doorknob, instead featuring a security panel installed on the wall beside it. A small security camera was fixed above the door, its black lens locked attentively on the three Mobians.

With a grin, Sonic walked up to the door and looked up at the camera. He waved jovially up at it.

"Yo! Is there a doctor in the house?" he asked loudly. "Because it hurts when I do _this_!"

And he kicked the door down with his foot.

"I've always wanted to say that," Sonic chuckled happily as he stepped over the broken door and into the room beyond. Shadow and Rouge followed, and all three of them stepped into a large, circular room with a high ceiling and smooth wall, all made (as expected) of metal. Large, square windows lined the walls, allowing bright beams of sunlight to pour in from outside and reflect off the shiny surfaces of the room. In the very center of this room, seated in a white chair on a raised platform, was none other than Doctor Eggman.

Sonic smirked. "Hey there, Eggman. Long time no see!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: No, Sonic, no, it isn't. It's never a "long time".<strong>


	17. Chapter 16: Doctor Eggman's Scheme

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: Doctor Eggman's Scheme<strong>

The bloated man chuckled appreciatively at his guests. "Well well, I didn't expect you three to be here," he remarked in what sounded like a surprised tone, but his facial expression indicated the dishonesty in his words. The evil genius slowly examined the Mobians from behind his glasses, an amused grin spread under his abundant moustaches.

"Sonic, still as impudent as ever. And Shadow, I see you haven't learned how to smile yet; a shame, really. And my dear Rouge…" The man's voice switched from the distasteful tone he had been using for the two hedgehogs to a more oily and flattering one as he smiled down at Rouge. "You're looking as exquisite as ever, my dear."

Rouge pretended to blush in flattery. "I'd say the same to you, Doctor, but then I'd be lying."

Sonic and Shadow simultaneously coughed to hold back their laughter. Eggman's grin faltered ever so slightly before he regained his composure. He turned away from Rouge to face Sonic, peering at the hedgehog with inexplicable triumph etched all over his face.

"Sonic, what do you think is the reason behind all your victories against me?" the Doctor asked suddenly.

The blue hedgehog looked rather startled at this seemingly random question. He glanced at Shadow and Rouge, whose expressions mirrored his own. Smiling conceitedly, Sonic turned his head back to Eggman.

"Because I'm just better than you?" he replied cockily.

"No," replied Eggman, shaking his bald head. Sonic reconsidered.

"Because I'm awesome?"

"No."

"Because I'm better-looking than you?"

"What! You're not better-looking than me!" Eggman exploded, pointing an accusing finger at the mocking hedgehog. He quickly got control of himself and sat back onto his chair, grinning mysteriously. "No, it's not that either. I'll tell you why you keep beating me. It's because you -."

"Whoa, hold up!" Sonic interrupted, raising his hands up to imply that Eggman stop talking. "Why did you even ask me that question, if you were going to answer anyway?"

Eggman's dark blue glasses flashed in anger. "Don't interrupt me, you insolent little -!" He caught himself, and smiled once more. "I mean, let me finish," he restated in a more tranquil tone. Sonic frowned and crossed his arms across his chest in a mirrored style to the black hedgehog beside him.

"As I was saying: every time I come up with a plan for world domination, you end up foiling my plans and defeating me. At first, I thought it was because I was underestimating you, but it wasn't that. Tell me, Sonic, what do you think was the one common factor in all your victories?"

Sonic grimaced. "This isn't another rhetorical question, is it?" he muttered darkly. Eggman did not reply, as if Sonic's own question was a rhetorical one by itself. The blue hedgehog considered his enemy's query nonetheless.

"What was the common factor?" Eggman repeated, this time sounding a bit impatient.

"Me?" Sonic replied uncertainly.

Eggman blinked. "Well, yes… But there was something else as well. Can you guess?"

Sonic glanced at Shadow and Rouge in confusion, the latter of whom shrugged in equal confusion, while the former simply maintained his stance of indifference. Sonic spread his arms unknowingly at the Doctor, indicating that he should go ahead and answer his own question. Prompted, Eggman grinned and leaned forward in his seat, placing his hands against the computer console in front of him.

"_The Chaos Emeralds_," he announced dramatically.

Sonic blinked and glanced away in embarrassment. "That was my second guess," he mumbled.

Eggman smiled maliciously. "Yes. Every single time you defeated me, you did so by using the power of the Emeralds. At times you were lucky, at times your own talents got you through, but always, in the end, you had to resort to the Emeralds' power."

"That's only because you keep messing up your own plans," Sonic countered indignantly. "If you didn't keep teaming up with baddies that had their own agendas or make doomsday devices that kept going haywire, I wouldn't need to use the Emeralds. Besides, I don't always use them. Remember the Wisps?"

"SILENCE!" Eggman slammed a fist in anger on the console, putting an end to Sonic's speech. "That only proves that you don't have the strength to beat me by yourself. The only way you can achieve victory is through the power of the Chaos Emeralds, or something akin to them." His malevolent grin returned. "And this time, I'm going to ensure that you can't use the Emeralds' power to stop me!"

A sudden silence filled the room after this dramatic declaration. The three Mobians glanced at each other, wondering what the malevolent doctor meant. The three had to admit, he had a point: they had relied on the Chaos Emeralds' power for overcoming nearly every calamity that befell their planet. Though neither of the two prideful hedgehogs would admit it, being unable to utilize the Chaos Emeralds' energy would be a crippling handicap. But they weren't going to acknowledge that openly, particularly to Eggman. They had a reputation to keep up, after all.

Nonetheless, Shadow was intrigued by the Doctor's words. "And how exactly do you plan on stopping us from using the Chaos Emeralds, Doctor?" he asked interestedly. "If you aim to destroy them, I should remind you that most of your plans, and inventions, require the Chaos Emeralds as well. Not to mention it would be impossible for you to destroy something as powerful as those Emeralds."

Eggman smiled at Shadow. "An astute observation, Shadow, but I am after all a genius. The Great Doctor Eggman takes everything into consideration."

He pressed a button on the console, and seven sealed cylinders rose up around him from the lower ground. All seven cylinders' contents were obscured by the interlocking, metal plates that covered their walls. As the three Mobians watched, Eggman pressed another button, and three of the cylinders' coverings separated to reveal a glowing Chaos Emerald within. The yellow, white, and green Emeralds were all there, the very ones that the three Black Arms had stolen.

_As we thought_, Shadow observed. _The Doctor has three, while we have four. That means all of the Emeralds are now accounted for._

Eggman grinned triumphantly and boomed out loud: "I'm going to use the energy of the Chaos Emeralds, not for my machines, but on _myself_!"

Silence.

"On yourself?" Rouge repeated quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Eggman simply smiled furtively in response.

"A Super Form," Shadow and Sonic realized together.

Eggman laughed joyously: "That's right! The Super Form!" He pointed a gloved index at the blue and black hedgehogs. "When you use the Emeralds' power to their full extent, you activate your Super Form. In that form, you're practically unbeatable." He grinned victoriously, curling his hand into a fist and pumping it into the air.

"And using the very same power, I shall unlock my _own_ Super Form! All shall fear the wrath of Super Eggman! Hoh-hohohohohohoh!"

These dramatic words echoed throughout the vast room, repeating over and over again for the three Mobians to hear. When the reverberations had finally died down, Sonic looked up approvingly at his archenemy.

"Not bad, Doc, not bad," he commented, nodding in admiration. "That's not a bad idea, actually. But there's something you're forgetting. You need all _seven _Emeralds to use the Super Form, remember?" He pointed at the yellow, white, and green Chaos Emeralds. "But you only have _three_."

Sonic placed his hands on his hips and grinned proudly, as if he had just scored a winning point. However, Eggman did not seem put-off by Sonic's comment. Instead, his triumphant grin widened even further.

"Ah, but Sonic, I _do_ have all seven of them."

And with the press of another button, the remaining tubes opened up to reveal their contents.

Sonic's mouth fell open; Rouge took a step backward in shock and gave a murmur of disbelief. Even Shadow was caught unawares, his folded arms dropping to his sides. Three pairs of widened eyes stared unbelievingly at the seven Chaos Emeralds, all floating calmly in the tubes.

"B-but how?" Sonic asked in wonder. "Those four are supposed to be back at Tails' workshop!"

Eggman simply smiled in enjoyment at their confusion.

"Sonic? Sonic, are you there?"

The stunned silence was broken by the sound of Tails' voice issuing through Sonic's communicator. Green, blue, and red eyes flitted to the device at the words. It seemed that, now that they were inside, Eggman had stopped jamming their communicators. Either that, or the jamming signal did not work in the base. What the actual reason was none of them knew, nor did they care at the moment. They had more pressing matters on their mind currently.

Hurriedly, the blue hedgehog consulted the device on his wrist. "Tails, where are the Emeralds?" he demanded urgently, his green eyes filled with worry.

"They're gone, Sonic!" Tails squeaked in distress. "Someone's taken them from the vault! Our house's in complete ruins!"

Sonic's expression of bewilderment was suddenly replaced by one of grim understanding. He eyed Eggman with a look of both of admiration and disdain.

"You sneaky bastard," he remarked with a shake of his head.

"Sonic? Sonic, what's going on over there?" Tails' voice questioned. "Where are you gu-?"

His words were cut short as Sonic ended the transmission and closed the communicator. "You knew we would follow one of your Black Arms here, didn't you?" he put forth. "You were waiting for that opportunity, weren't you?"

A figurative light bulb turned on in Shadow's head. "I see…," he murmured slowly, also scrutinizing the Doctor with contempt. Rouge, apparently having yet to come to the truth, glanced at the two hedgehogs perplexedly.

"Wait, what happened?" she demanded earnestly, looking from one to the other.

Sonic frowned at the Doctor, not taking his eyes off the bloated man. "While we were all on our way here, Eggman sent his Black Arms to Tails' workshop and had them steal the Emeralds." He surveyed the evil genius expectantly. "Am I right?"

Eggman nodded his head victoriously. "Yes. Those modified Black Arms are one of my best ideas ever. I knew it was wise of me to collect a sample of their DNA during the invasion for future use. The upgrades I made to their DNA made them quite a formidable batch of foes, didn't they?" His tone suddenly became regretful. "Although, I only had enough genetic material to make three successful clones. The others were a horrible failure, I'm afraid. Though, they served me well in fueling my heating system."

He laughed remorselessly while the three Mobians glared at him. Sonic clenched his teeth in determination.

"What makes you think we'll just stand by and let you use the Emeralds' power?" Sonic called, charging at the Doctor before either Shadow or Rouge could stop him. Realizing they had no choice left, Shadow and Rouge followed Sonic's lead, also rushing at Eggman.

However, instead of being wary of their assault, Eggman merely smirked in amusement as they got closer. The three barely had time to wonder why the Doctor was so relaxed, when they got their answer.

Three holes appeared in the floor between Eggman and his three opponents, one hole in front of each Mobian. And out of the wide holes rose the three massive forms of the Black Arms. Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge skidded to a halt as the Black Arms blocked their path to Eggman. The creatures growled viscously at their opponents, plainly aiming to protect their master from the intruders.

The two hedgehogs and the bat frowned at the sight. Shadow surveyed the Black Arms, trying to spot a weakness in their defense, but he couldn't find one. It seemed that, with the Black Arms in their way, it would be nigh impossible getting at Eggman now. And based on his cocky grin, Eggman was clearly aware of this. A chuckling Eggman stood up from his seat and began pressing another series of buttons on the computer console. The seven tubes hissed as their tops slid open and the Emeralds came floating out to encircle the fat man.

"Now, Sonic, you will be the one to taste defeat," he announced delightedly, eyeing his opponents with triumph radiating out of his very being. "Everyone who's ever stood in my way, they will all face the might of Super Eggman!"

He raised his hands into the air with another passionate chuckle. The seven Chaos Emeralds began spinning faster and faster around him, their glow brightening to such a degree that the three Mobians had to shield their eyes from the glare. Squinting through the light, they saw the Doctor laughing victoriously as the gemstones accelerated to such a speed that they appeared to be single ring of light rotating around him.

"At last! Victory shall be mine!" he cried excitedly. The trio of heroes grimaced in anger, but they couldn't make a move with the Black Arms in their way.

And then something slammed into the Doctor from behind, knocking him clear off the platform. He flew through the air with Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, and the Black Arms following his flight with the startled eyes. Eggman slammed into a wall with a shout of pain, sliding to the floor as blood gently seeped out of his mouth. He looked up at the platform to see what had hit him, and then his expression turned to one of shock.

"You!" he cried in outrage. Six pairs of eyes followed his gaze to the platform, where, in between the still spinning Emeralds, stood a figure with its head bowed and its arms spread wide. The Mobians visibly started in surprise upon recognizing the figure.

A flash of bright light, and the Emeralds vanished from sight. The seven occupants of the room blinked from the intensity of the flash, and once the glow had subsided, they all turned glaring eyes at the figure now standing atop Eggman's platform.

It was a machine, a machine made of a cobalt blue metal, with a turbine-like engine on its near-spherical torso. Red, shoe-shaped feet clanged gently on the platform as they shifted slightly. Sunlight glinted off the yellow metal covering the back of the machine's five-digit hands as it lowered its blue and silver robotic arms to its sides; and then it raised its head to look up at the seven beings before it. The three spikes protruding from the back of its blue head, the silver mouth-less muzzle, and the black sclera with the glowing, scarlet irises; all these features turned to face the three Mobians, the one human, and the three Black Arms.

It was Metal Sonic.

And he had just absorbed the Chaos Emeralds into himself.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: GASP! PLOT TWIST!<strong>

**God, I am so unoriginal. *Shakes his head***


	18. Chapter 17: The Climax

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: The Climax<strong>

"That's -!" Rouge began incredulously.

"Metal Sonic," the real Sonic murmured in awe, staring at his robotic doppelganger.

Metal Sonic was staring down at his hand, flexing the mechanical digits as if evaluating their performance. He then glanced down at the trio of Mobians, and then at Doctor Eggman. And though his face could not display any emotion, they could all tell that he was extremely pleased with what had just occurred.

Unfortunately, the Black Arms did not seem that pleased. The bulkiest Black Arm, the very first one Sonic and Co. had encountered, roared and lunged at the machine that dared attack its master. The Black Arm raised a boulder-sized fist in the air and brought it swinging down at the metallic entity. Metal Sonic lazily turned his head up to look at the towering beast, before raising his own hand catching the Black Arm's much larger one in his own, halting the attack effortlessly.

A stunned silence hung in the air as every set of eyes watched the Black Arm and Metal Sonic. The assaulting Black Arm was completely stupefied by this occurence. How could this little machine have managed to stop its attack so easily? The beast roared and swung another fist at the blue machine, but the appendage had barely reached its target before Metal Sonic vanished from his position on the platform.

The mechanical hedgehog appeared in the air above the Black Arm, levitating as if held up by invisible strings. Before the Black Arm could comprehend what had just happened, Metal Sonic slammed his hand onto the creature's disproportioned head, holding it tightly in his grip before releasing a wave of golden Chaos Energy from his palm. The Black Arm howled in pain as the energy wave spread over his entire body, burning it, and in a matter of seconds the colossal creature had sublimated into dust. A silent Metal Sonic then turned his attention back to the other occupants of the room, who were staring up at him with different degrees of horror on their faces.

The two remaining Black Arms glanced down at what remained of their brother, a pile of burnt ash, before giving a whimper of fear. The whimper soon turned into a shriek of fear as Metal Sonic turned his glowing optics to them. Trembling in terror, the Black Arms turned tail and ran to the wall, smashing through it and leaping out of the tower. They did not seem to realize that they were on the topmost floor of the building; all that seemed to matter to them was getting as far away as they could from that horrible metal creature. Thus, they both leapt out of the hole in the wall like frightened children.

"You cowards!" Eggman spat at them as they vanished into the sunlight outside, shaking a fist in the air with fury. "Get back here and defend your master!" The Doctor then turned a face of fury at his traitorous invention, Metal Sonic.

Sonic chuckled softly at Eggman, noting his expression of rage. "Wow, Eggman. Everyone who works for you is ready to betray you. First old Metal here, and now those Black Arms. Must say something about how you treat your employees, huh?"

Ignoring the venomous glare the Doctor threw his way, Sonic turned to Metal Sonic and took a step closer to him, waving at his metallic copy.

"Yo! Long time no see, Metal Sonic!" Sonic called amiably, seeming to forget the fact that Metal Sonic had just taken down an entity which even Shadow had trouble facing. "How ya been?"

"So this… This is what it feels like."

Sonic blinked at the robotic hedgehog. "Did you just talk?" he asked in astonishment. The others ogled at the metal hedgehog in equal amazement. Despite lacking a speech synthesizer or anything of the like, Metal Sonic had actually spoken.

The blue machine was once more inspecting his body, as if he could feel some form of power coursing through him. He did not even seem to hear Sonic's words, and was not even paying attention to his opponents. He seemed lost in his own world.

"The power of the Chaos Emeralds… The power of the Super Form," he whispered in admiration. "_This_ is what it feels like…" His words trailed off as his eyes suddenly began glowing a bright, gold color; the same color Sonic's blue fur took on when he underwent his Super Transformation. "It's no wonder you managed to beat me so easily back then, Sonic…"

He remained lost in his thoughts, unaware that the others were eyeing him cautiously. Sonic whistled all of a sudden.

"He _is_ talking," he acknowledged, nodding. "I haven't heard him talk since -."

"- he first betrayed Eggman and copied all our abilities," Shadow finished, scrutinizing the distracted machine. "He's probably using the energy from the Chaos Emeralds to speak."

"Right, because that makes perfect sense," Rouge remarked sarcastically.

"Shut up," Shadow retorted automatically.

Before anyone else could say anything further however, Metal Sonic seemed to finally come back to reality. He turned glowing gold optics down at his prey from his suspended position in mid-air.

"Sonic, how long it's been since I last saw you," he remarked in his low pitched voice, his emotionless eyes locked on his organic counterpart. "I'm glad you came here. I had hoped you would catch wind of this buffoon's plan -." As he said the word "buffoon", he gestured to the injured Eggman. "- and come here to stop him. It saves me the trouble of hunting you down myself."

Metal Sonic then turned his metal face to Eggman and addressed him. "I've been waiting a long time for you to execute this plan, Doctor. Now, your scheme to kill Sonic shall be completed by me. Victory…," he drawled as he clenched a robotic hand tightly, "… shall be mine."

Eggman's eyes widened behind his glasses as a look of bewilderment appeared on his visage. "You've been waiting for me to execute this plan?" he repeated slowly. His eyes then narrowed and he gritted his teeth. "How did you know about my plan? I never told a soul!"

The metal hedgehog tilted his head sideways. "Did you really think I wouldn't keep tabs on the only man I hate as much as _him_?" He pointed a clawed robotic hand at Sonic. "I've known what you've been up to for a long time, Eggman. You made the error of assuming that Sonic and his friends were the only threat to your plans; you forgot about me, your greatest creation. And because of that miscalculation, you have failed where I shall succeed."

"You treacherous bag of bolts!" Eggman spat in fury, shaking his fist at Metal Sonic. "I'm your creator, your master, and yet you have the audacity to -!"

"SILENCE!" Metal Sonic bellowed, swiping his arm through the air in Eggman's direction. A wave of rippling, transparent energy shot towards the Doctor, blasting forwards at an incredible speed. Sonic, realizing the danger, made to dash at the man and pull him out of the way, but he was too late; the blast of Chaos Energy struck the Doctor in the chest, and with a howl of pain, he was lifted off the floor and tossed back through the metal wall behind him; as if the wall were made of flimsy sticks rather than durable metal.

"Rouge!" Sonic called as Eggman disappeared from view through the hole.

"On it!" Rouge answered, spreading her wings and flying through the hole and down after the plummeting man.

Sonic rushed to the hole in the wall while Shadow and Metal Sonic held their ground (air in the latter's case). The Ultimate Lifeform cautiously eyed the metal hedgehog, who was looking at Sonic. Since his arrival, Metal Sonic had barely registered the presence of Shadow and Rouge, as if Sonic and Doctor Eggman were the only people who deserved his attention. While a part of Shadow knew this was because the mechanical hedgehog was obsessed with exacting vengeance on the aforementioned, another part of him (his pride) was furious that Metal Sonic thought so lightly of him that he did not even acknowledge his presence. Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform! You didn't ignore or underestimate the Ultimate Lifeform. Not if you wanted to live, that is.

Shadow's thoughts were interrupted by Sonic's relieved voice stating: "Whew, she made it in time. Though Eggman looks like he's out cold." Sonic turned back to face Metal Sonic just as Rouge flew back in through the hole behind him. The two stepped closer to Shadow and Metal Sonic.

The metal entity titled his head once more to the side, this time in apparent interest. "Saving your arch-nemesis? You haven't changed at all, Sonic," he observed with obvious distaste.

Sonic shrugged innocently. "Hey, Rouge is the one who actually saved him! Not me!" he defended, jerking his head at the female bat beside him. Metal Sonic did not so much as glance in Rouge's direction, as if he did not see her standing there beside Sonic. He was definitely focused on Sonic and Sonic alone. The other two were merely a part of the background as far as Metal Sonic was concerned.

"The Doctor was right," Metal Sonic suddenly began, his tone now curious. "Without the power of the Chaos Emeralds, you are powerless to defeat me. Now that I've absorbed the Emeralds into myself, you, Sonic, shall be the one who tastes defeats."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah! We already heard that speech from Eggman," he remarked in a casual tone, waving his hand at Metal Sonic as if he shooing him away. The sapphire hedgehog got into a battle stance. "How's about we just skip the banter and get straight to the fighting?"

Gold optics glowed in amusement. "Oh, there won't be any fighting here, Sonic. Not now," Metal Sonic announced, catching all three of them off-guard. Shadow glanced at Sonic and Rouge. What was that supposed to mean? He wasn't going to fight them?

"Come again?" Sonic asked, puzzled. "You're _not_ going to fight us?"

If he had a mouth, Metal Sonic would have no doubt been smirking cockily. "That's right. I will not fight you right now; nor will I kill you."

"Really?" Sonic asked in surprise, blinking. "Phew! That's a relief! I haven't even started on my will yet!"

Ignoring his counterpart's quip, Metal Sonic continued as if he had not stopped. "No, I'm not going to kill you right now, Sonic. You value your friends so much, and they you, that I believe it would be cruel and inconsiderate of me to take your life so soon. Imagine how they would feel if they found out that their precious, grand hero had died before them. They would be devastated, wouldn't they?"

Sonic stared at his metal counterpart, uncertain as to how to reply to this statement. Metals Sonic's tone then dropped to a sinister pitch, and even though he couldn't express any emotion, his entire body gave off a malevolent aura. "I'm going to make you suffer, Sonic. I will not kill you first, but rather your friends. I will take their lives first. And then... I will come for you."

He chuckled maliciously, throwing his head back as he did so. He then looked back down at a startled Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge. The usually cheery and self-confident expression had vanished from Sonic's face, replaced by one of both anger and, for a moment, fear. Metal Sonic's next words came out in a sneering, twisted tone:

"And I think I'll start by killing that little fox friend of yours: Tails, wasn't it?"

His eyes glinted vindictively at the three. Sonic, in spite of himself, growled in anger and took a step closer to the metal hedgehog.

"Not if I stop you first!" he proclaimed.

And he lunged at the hovering Metal Sonic.

"Sonic, don't!"

"Wait, you idiot!"

Despite their cries of protest, Shadow and Rouge leaped after Sonic, also flying at Metal Sonic to launch their respective attacks at him. The navy blue machine did not even flinch as the three Mobians lunged at it. Instead, it calmly folded its arms across its chest in an X shape, and when the three were a foot away from making contact, spread its arms apart and spoke the two words:

"Chaos Control."

A flash of gold light, and Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge were frozen in mid-air, with a fully-mobile Metal Sonic floating before them. He looked at Sonic intently, his gaze still not acknowledging the other two's presence.

"A pitiful attempt, Sonic," he scoffed in disappointment, folding his mechanical arms across his chest. "You of all people should know just how powerful I am right now. And yet you assault me without a second thought! Yet another reason why _I_ am the superior being."

He unfolded his arms and leaned closer to Sonic, grabbing the top of his head in one hand as he brought his face within an inch of Sonic's. His pointed nose almost touching Sonic's face, the super-powered robot spoke once more in a voice as cold and sinister as the deepest parts of the ocean. Even though the organic hedgehog was completely paralyzed, he could still see and hear all that was going on around him, and thus everything that Metal Sonic was conveying to him.

"I'm going to make you suffer, Sonic," Metal Sonic repeated sinisterly. "I'm going to make your life a living hell. I will hunt down each and every thing you hold dear, and crush it. And when I'm done, when you have suffered so much that your mind breaks down, when you _beg_ me for death, then - _only_ then - will I end your miserable existence."

Laughing maniacally, the metal hedgehog leaned back and raised his right hand until it was level with eyes. "Until we meet again, my pathetic doppelganger," he drawled arrogantly at Sonic.

And with a snap of his fingers, the three Mobians vanished in a burst of yellow light.


	19. Chapter 18: Stranded

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 18: Stranded<strong>

SPLASH!

Shadow's eyes shot open as a he hit the cold water, sinking immediately into its depths. Glancing around wildly, he saw nothing but an endless stretch of water around, below, and above him. No wait, it wasn't all endless. The black hedgehog swiveled his head upwards to see the water's surface above, with the refracted rays of sunlight shining down at him. With instinctive urgency, he kicked his legs and pushed his arms against the fluid to rise to the surface. In a matter of seconds, his head broke the surface and he gasped for breath. Calming himself, the Ultimate Lifeform glanced around himself once more, his arms and legs kicking softly underneath the water to keep him aloft.

A quick scan revealed to Shadow that he was in a large body of water of some kind. Perhaps a lake? No, it wasn't a lake. There was no bank or landmass around or anywhere near him. Furthermore, the water's surface was not smooth like that of a lake; it was disturbed constantly by numerous, shifting waves. There was really only one place he could be. Shadow's heart dropped as the truth dawned upon him. He was smack in the middle of the ocean, all alone.

No wait. He wasn't alone. The memories suddenly came flying back to him: the Black Arms, Doctor Eggman's plot, Metal Sonic's intervention, and then finally, that flash of bright yellow light. Chaos Control. Shadow glanced around himself dubiously.

_Metal Sonic must have used Chaos Control to warp Sonic, Rouge, and myself to this place - this ocean_.

And then realization hit the ebony hedgehog. He was somewhere in an ocean, which meant Sonic and Rouge were here as well. Here. In a body of water. Water. Which Sonic feared more than death. Water. Which Sonic couldn't swim in.

With an aggravated curse, Shadow took a deep breath and plunged his head back underwater, scanning fervently at the green-blue backdrop for a sign of the cobalt blue hedgehog. His eyes locked onto a small blue dot in the distance; a dot that was sinking slowly. Frowning, Shadow kicked off towards the dot, activating his Air Shoes and shooting through the water like a torpedo. He quickly gained on the blue dot, which he was thankful to see was indeed Sonic; a thrashing, flailing Sonic at that. Spotting the oncoming Shadow, Sonic waved desperately to draw attention to himself even as he continued to sink like a rock. Shadow reached out and grabbed the drowning hedgehog's extended arm.

Aiming skywards, Shadow shot to the surface and broke the barrier between air and water in seconds. His Air Shoes were still activated and thus kept him propelled above the water's surface. A soaked Sonic held onto an equally soaked Shadow, coughing violently and gasping for breath. Shadow frowned down at the hedgehog he held under his right arm like a like a box. When he had finally finished his coughing and gagging, Sonic glanced up at Shadow through watery eyes. He flashed a weak smile at his partner.

"My hero!" Sonic exclaimed in mock admiration, pretending to hug Shadow playfully.

"Stuff it," Shadow deadpanned, glancing at the endless stretch of water around him. Now what was he supposed to do? He could go look for Rouge, but he didn't have to rush or anything. Unlike Sonic, Rouge knew how to swim, something which was an essential and fundamental skill for a GUN agent. Hell, even Shadow knew how to swim. It was anyone's guess why Sonic hadn't learned such a basic yet important skill yet.

"You know, this reminds of the time I rescued you from that kiddy pool during Cream's birthday party," Shadow suddenly recalled with a malicious smirk. "That was hilarious."

Sonic frowned in annoyance. "Hey, that wasn't funny," he snapped hurtfully. "I almost drowned back there."

"The water was a foot deep. How do you "almost drown" in water that shallow?"

"By being unbelievably awesome and attractive, that's how."

Shadow snorted skeptically. "Please. In case you haven't noticed, _I've_ never drowned in water that shallow."

Sonic grinned slyly. "Yeah, well, whoever said you're unbelievably awesome and attractive, Shadow?"

_Dang, walked right into that one_, Shadow noted shamefully. Out loud, he said: "May I remind you who just saved your life? I could simply throw you back in the water and leave you to drown."

Sonic's eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't! Would you?"

For a moment, Shadow actually considered dropping Sonic back in the water and demanding that he learn how to swim then and there, otherwise Shadow would leave him to drown. He decided against it, however. Now was not the time to be teaching Sonic how to be useful.

As Shadow wasn't replying, Sonic decided to change the topic for fear that Shadow was indeed planning on dropping him back into the water. "So, what're we gonna do now?" Sonic asked, voicing the very words that had been swirling in Shadow's head a few seconds ago. Shadow looked away from Sonic and at the surrounding water. Indeed, what were they going to do?

"We had best look for Rouge," Shadow suggested uncertainly, albeit authoritatively. "She should be nearby. Metal Sonic seems to have warped all of us to the same location."

"Which is where?" Sonic asked curiously from under Shadow's arm. Shadow shrugged with a clueless air.

"Hang on tight," Shadow warned before increasing the output from his Air Shoes and shooting forwards in a random direction. He hovered across the water just as he did over land, skating in the same manner. Cold wind blew across Shadow's face along with sprays of salty water, but he paid no attention to them. Neither did he pay any attention to Sonic's constant shouts of fear coupled with ones of excitement. He did, however, jerk at the sound of a feminine voice suddenly shrieking from nearby.

"Shadow!" the voice cried out crossly.

Shadow skidded to a stop, levitating above the water's surface, as he and Sonic looked back the way they had just come, in the direction of the voice. Close by floated Rouge, completely soaked from head to submerged toe, with her make-up having washed off her face. She looked livid as she glared at the dark hedgehog.

"Watch where you're going next time, Shadow!" Rouge barked irritably as the black hedgehog approached her. "You almost knocked me underwater back there. I'm soaked thanks to you."

"Here that, Shadow?" Sonic piqued up, nudging the black hedgehog playfully in the ribs. "You got Rouge wet!"

Shadow dropped Sonic unceremoniously into the water.

"Oops," he remarked unsympathetically, looking down mischievously at Sonic.

"Help!" Sonic cried in panic, his arms flailing madly as he tried to keep his head above the water. "I can't swim! I can't swim!"

Right before he vanished under the water's surface, Shadow carelessly picked him back up again. Sonic sighed with relief, and then threw Shadow a murderous glare.

"Asshole," he grumbled.

"You're welcome," Shadow replied in an unfazed tone, turning to Rouge and offering her his hand. Rouge looked at it in confusion.

"What that's for?" she asked quizzically.

"Shadow wants you to ride him," Sonic explained cheekily. When Shadow threateningly loosened his hold on him, Sonic quickly rephrased his sentence. "I mean, he wants you to ride _on_ him."

Rouge looked up at Shadow, who had his eyes closed tight and seemed to be mentally restraining himself from injuring Sonic then and there. She smiled at the sight.

"No thanks, guys, I can manage," she assured them. Sonic and Shadow looked at her skeptically.

"Can you even fly with those wings?" Sonic asked, pointing at her soaked wings. "Besides, we have no idea where the closest landmass is. It could be a long swim, you know."

As if to indicate his agreement with Sonic's words, Shadow once more held out of his hand for Rouge to take. Sighing, knowing that the blue hedgehog had a point, she clasped her hand around Shadow's and climbed on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on firmly, her legs bent and her knees clamped slightly against Shadow's waist for extra support. It was, suffice to say, rather an awkward positioning for both the GUN agents. And Shadow was already moody after having to hold Sonic under his arm like a rolled-up carpet. And it was clear from Rouge's expression that she too found this arrangement awkward.

Sonic looked up at the duo's positioning, and suddenly snickered with an immature air.

"What are you laughing at?" Rouge asked him, making Shadow wince slightly when she spoke too loudly and closely to his ear. "Sorry, Shadow," she apologized.

"Oh, no reason," Sonic answered evasively. He suddenly pointed ahead. "Hey look! I can see land!"

The other two followed his finger and spotted the distant shape of what was indeed a landmass.

Sonic pointed dramatically at the landmass and called out in a booming voice: "Onwards, Captain Shadow!"

Growling at the horrible joke, Shadow took off in the direction of the landmass. Based on its size on the horizon, Shadow judged it to be quite a sizeable distance away; it would take them some hours to get there. So he got to it, skating across the waves swiftly and quickly, towards land. He skated and skated in silence, slowly feeling fatigue taking hold of him from the constant exertion. However, he did not let his gradually intensifying exhaustion show. Displaying weakness was not something he did; even if he felt himself drained of all energy.

Unfortunately for Shadow, he could not stop to rest, as there was no actual solid ground for him to rest on. Neither could he ask Rouge or Sonic to switch with him. Sonic, because he couldn't swim or run on water without enough momentum to keep him going; Rouge, because she would have to fly to the landmass while carrying the two of them. Not to mention the fact that carrying two passengers would drain her much more rapidly than it would Shadow, as well as slow her down considerably and thus prolong their arrival on land. Logically, only Shadow could get them to their destination quickly. At the very least Sonic and Rouge were relaxed, simply clinging to Shadow while he zoomed over the water at insane speeds.

_Oh yes, _that's_ a comforting thought_, thought Shadow sarcastically.

Finally, after nearly four hours of non-stop skating, they neared the landmass, which they could now identify as an island. Shadow glided over the water and onto the sandy shore, and immediately collapsed to his knees. Sonic and Rouge let go off him and helped him up, dragging the exhausted hedgehog up the beach and to one of the trees of the forest beyond the beach. Leaning back against a pine tree, Shadow breathed deeply and slowly, his entire body aching from over-exertion. He felt almost as bad as he did when he removed his Inhibitor Rings. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. He wasn't that worn out, but he was definitely going to have to rest for a little while.

"Where are we, anyway?" Sonic asked as he plopped down on the sand beside Shadow, his legs propped up with his hands resting on his knees. He turned inquiring eyes to Rouge, as if the question had been directed to her particularly.

Rouge shrugged unknowingly. "Beats me. My communicator got fried when it came in contact with water," she informed the questioning hedgehog, tapping the wrist where her communicator was. "We're not going to find out where we are through a satellite link or anything."

Sonic sighed and got to his feet. "I'll go take a look around the island, see if I can find some form of civilization," he announced, dusting the sand off his backside. "Or at the very least, try and see if I can find out where on Earth we are." Directing his attention at the line of trees, Sonic ran into the forest, leaving Shadow and Rouge alone.

Rouge looked away from the departing Sonic and to the resting Shadow. "You look exhausted," she observed with a sympathetic smile.

Shadow snorted. "Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," he barked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Go on, make another one."

Rouge smiled pleasantly at his mockery. "Well, you're very irritable at the moment," she noted, tapping her chin with a thoughtful expression. Before Shadow could throw another deriding comment her way for making an observation of the well, obvious, she continued. "You're annoyed at Sonic because he can't swim and you had to lug him around for the past few hours like a sack of potatoes. You're also even more aggravated at everyone and everything than usual; that usually happens when you're extremely fatigued.

Also, you're pissed that you had to skate across the ocean for hours straight without resting, while Sonic and I were comparatively relaxed and comfortable. However, you didn't ask either of us to switch and let you take a break, because you didn't want to share your burdens with anyone else, like you always do. You always shut yourself up when you're around others, even your friends."

Shadow blinked, having been caught off-guard by Rouge's suddenly sympathetic and reproachful tone. He turned his head away from the female bat as an indication that he had heard enough, but Rouge did not appear to be finished. She continued with the same rhythm, though her tone had softened considerably.

"Despite the difficulty of the task, despite the fatigue you felt, you still trudged on, not even complaining. And eventually, you accomplished this feat, and for that, you feel extremely proud of yourself. Which I guess doesn't mean much, since you're always so proud of yourself," she concluded with a touch of humor, laughing pleasantly.

Shadow turned a perplexed gaze to her, actually surprised that Rouge knew what he was feeling, and why. But he wasn't going to admit that, though. He had his pride. Therefore, he quickly slid an amused smirk on his face as he looked away from the bat. "Hmph. You're powers of perception amaze me, Rouge," he stated sincerely, though in a tone that implied at mockery. "You can read me like a book."

Rouge blinked and looked away from Shadow at the sand, a slightly sorrowful look on her face. "No, I can't read you that well," she muttered quietly, though Shadow just barely heard her enough to turn his attention back to her.

"What was that?" he asked curiously, watching his partner through expressionless eyes. Rouge looked up in surprise, no doubt having assumed that Shadow couldn't hear her.

"Oh, nothing!" she replied hurriedly, waving her hands in front of her frantically. "I was just talking to myself!"

Shadow arched an eyebrow in wonder, but did not press further for details. He instead turned his attention to the ocean ahead. With a sigh, Rouge also turned her gaze from the black hedgehog to the waves.

The two sat in complete silence for several minutes, during which the only sounds were those of the waves crashing against nearby rocks and the roar of the wind. Shadow had just begun wondering where Sonic was, when he noticed Rouge doodling on the sand with a stick. She seemed to be lost in thought, and it was no mystery was she was daydreaming over. The image she was sketching into the sand consisted of a beaten, crumpled figure that looked suspiciously like Knuckles, over which stood a triumphant Rouge. In her skywards hands, held proudly above her head, was what Shadow recognized to be the Master Emerald. The lines of emphasis circling the entire sketch indicated the "grandness" of the situation.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Well, you certainly have something on your mind," he spoke up in astonishment. Rouge started and snapped out of her stupor, glancing up at ebony hedgehog. She looked down at the picture she'd drawn in the sand, as if suddenly realizing what she had been doing, before laughing.

"Woops, didn't realize what I was doing," Rouge stated cheerfully, erasing the image with her hand.

"We've no idea where we are, and yet you're busy thinking about stealing the Master Emerald," Shadow noted as a deriding smirk curled onto his lips. "Shows how you've set your priorities."

"Haha, very funny," Rouge replied with an unimpressed roll of her eyes. She grinned good-naturedly, though. "Still, it was a pretty good sketch, wasn't it?"

Shadow's smirk intensified. "Be it artistic or not, it doesn't change the fact that its contents were completely unrealistic," he sneered.

Rouge frowned at him, looking at the stick in her hand thoughtfully. She then smirked and pointed it at Shadow, holding it under his nose and waving it there slowly, just to irritate the black hedgehog.

"Well then, why don't I try something else?" she taunted. "How's about I draw a picture of you in a tutu?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at her. "And how exactly is that realistic?"

"It's not. But I'll bet you'll look damn good in a tutu."

Shadow frowned at her laughter. However, just then the ruffling of bushes behind them announced the arrival of Sonic. Shadow and Rouge looked over their shoulders at the emerging hedgehog, who walked up to them and sat down on the sand beside Rouge. He resumed his position from earlier, holding his legs close to his chest and folding his arms over his knees, with his chin resting on top of them. He had not said a word when he arrived, nor did he glance at either of his comrades as he did so. Shadow could see clearly the expression on Sonic's face, but he could hardly believe it.

"Well? Did you find anything?" Shadow decided to ask. Slowly, Sonic turned his face to Shadow's. The blue hedgehog's normally confident and radiant visage had been replaced by one of sorrow and depression. He looked like a completely different person right now. His mouth was twitching erratically, as if he were about to cry and was trying to control himself; his posture had slumped, his eyes were heavy and looked defeated, and his fingers were curled tightly around his arms to indicate extreme emotion.

It was a side of Sonic that Shadow, or anyone, barely saw: Sonic was terrified, and extremely at that.

"No," Sonic replied in a hollow voice. "I didn't find anything. No people, no animals, nothing. There's nothing on this island but trees and us." He glanced behind him and at the multitude of trees towering above them. He then turned away from the trees and lowered his head in grief. "I climbed to the top of one of the trees and tried to see if I could find any nearby land. All I could see was water, everywhere I looked. I couldn't see any land anywhere. Only water…"

"So we're stranded here," Shadow stated bluntly, looking away from the depressed Sonic and the concerned Rouge and at the ocean. An irate frown formed on his muzzle. "We're stuck here."

Rouge glanced from Sonic to Shadow and back. She then smiled reassuringly, despite the fact that neither of the hedgehogs could see her do so.

"Don't worry, guys, I'm sure we'll find a way off this island," she remarked confidently, placing a gentle hand on both their arms and glancing at them in turn. "We'll find a way."

Being optimistic wasn't Rouge's strong point; she tended to have a darker and more cynical outlook on life, a personality trait she shared with the black hedgehog beside her. Perhaps that was why Shadow got along with her better than others. "The glass is half-full" didn't always work for her. However, at this moment, she no doubt felt she had to adopt that outlook for the sake of the two moody males with her. Normally, it would be Amy, Tails, or even Knuckles that would pick up this role, but this time it seemed that Rouge was to do so.

Knowing that Shadow was a grand pessimist (or a "realist" as he corrected each time he was referred to as such), Rouge was prepared for Shadow's usual skeptical "Hmph" and sneer. However, to both Shadow and Rouge's astonishment, Sonic was the one who answered Rouge's remark grimly.

"Heh, stop lying, Rouge. You know as well as Shadow and I that we can't get off this stupid rock. We're stuck here. We're done for. Metal Sonic's won."

The white bat stared in silence at the blue hedgehog. Even the black hedgehog's eyes had flitted to the blue one in stunned disbelief. Sonic, admitting defeat? Sonic, giving up without even trying? _The_ Sonic, the one that had faced every disaster he had come across with a confident air and a casual demeanor? That Sonic? No. It couldn't be. It was like saying Shadow would willingly do the Chicken Dance while wearing a diaper on his head. Or that Miley Cyrus could actually sing rather than bay like a donkey. You just didn't say such preposterous things.

And yet, it was happening right now. Sonic was being negative, pushing aside hope. What the hell was going on?

"What are you talking about, Sonic?" Rouge demanded suddenly, as if the sight of this new, grieving Sonic mortally offended her. "Are you saying you don't believe we'll get off this island? That we won't be able to stop Metal Sonic?" Her voice had risen slightly now, but she managed to keep control of herself.

Sonic did not raise his head to meet Rouge's gaze, instead electing to keep his head bowed between his folded arms. "Yeah," he replied shortly. "That's what I'm saying. There's no hope for victory now."

Rouge's eyes flashed in anger and she leaped to her feet, moving to stand in front of Sonic. She placed her hands on her hips in anger and glared down at the brooding blue hedgehog.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped furiously. "That's not the Sonic I know and occasionally get along with. What happened to the cocky and self-assured hedgehog that you always are?"

Slowly, Sonic looked up from the ground and up at Rouge, who was stood there seething. Shadow watched her with an unfazed expression, yet he was quite surprised at her outburst. He supposed that, since none of Sonic's more "happy" friends were here to talk some sense back into the blue hero, and since Shadow certainly wasn't about to get emotional, Rouge felt she had to boost the gloomy hedgehog's morale.

"How many times have you faced a hopeless situation, only to flash us that infuriatingly confident smile and that thumbs-up before declaring it was all "no big deal"?" she continued fiercely. "How many times have you been knocked down, only to get back up and refuse to give up? Huh? And now you're telling us we have no hope? That's bullshit, and you know it." The fire in her eyes died down a degree, and her voice continued in a comparatively softer and gentler tone. "You've faced worse situations than this, Sonic. And you always pulled through. And you will this time, too."

She stopped talking, as if waiting to see Sonic's reaction to her little speech. Shadow wondered if Sonic would take Rouge's words to heart like he would if a closer friend had said them to him. Her words were far from empty and were not poor attempts at cheering him up; what she was implying was true. Sonic was extremely stubborn and resolute, a trait which had helped him overcome the most discouraging of situations that any of them had ever experienced. It was his unwavering determination that was the reason why Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, and so many others, had yet to defeat him properly. They would strike him down once, but he would pull himself back up for another round every time. It was no wonder why all of Sonic's enemies both hated and admired him at the same time.

Sonic was silent for nearly an entire minute after Rouge finished speaking, his eyes having lowered from her face to the ground between them. Finally, he spoke up.

"You're right, Rouge. I have faced problems worse than this, and I did overcome them." He looked up from the sand and at Rouge, his face still glum. "But every time, when all hope seemed lost, there was always one silver lining. There was always one thing that I knew could help me: The Chaos Emeralds." A look of extreme emotional pain appeared on Sonic's face. "Eggman and Metal Sonic were right. I've always relied on the Emeralds to get me through danger. Without them, it's hopeless. Without them, I can't win."

He suddenly looked over at Shadow, his green eyes holding a meaningful look in them. "You know I'm right, don't you Shadow?" he asked slowly. "You use Chaos Energy the most. You're the most skilled in its usage. You're probably the most dependent on it out of all of us. You know, don't you, just how weak we are without the Emeralds' power? Right?"

He waited patiently for Shadow to answer, watching the black hedgehog inquiringly. Shadow looked steadily at the green eyes with his own red ones, not speaking or blinking. No emotion appeared on his face as he closed his eyes and turned away from Sonic. Despite not having said a word, Shadow's body language conveyed his thoughts: Yes, he did agree with Sonic.

Rouge's looked at Shadow in surprise, while Sonic merely smiled grimly. "We're powerless without them," he repeated sadly, looking back down at the sand in a defeated manner.

Rouge bit her lip uncertainly, glancing from one hedgehog to another. Sighing, she kneeled down in front of Sonic and placed a comforting hand on his. The blue hedgehog raised lifeless eyes to meet her own warm ones.

"We'll find a way," she repeated softly. "You're Sonic the Hedgehog, remember?"

Sonic, however, still did not seem to agree. Tossing Rouge's hand roughly aside, he rose to his feet in anger and glared down at the bat. "Get real, Rouge! What are we gonna do? Hitch another ride on Shadow and have him run across the ocean in a random direction, hoping we'll come across some other piece of land?" He gritted his teeth angrily, looking as if he was about to hit Rouge in anger. He had even taken a step closer to her, his arms partially raised and his hands curled into fists. Rouge stood her ground calmly, but seemed prepared for Sonic's strike. However, the blue hedgehog stopped suddenly, lowering his arms as the flame in his eyes vanished. The defeated look returned.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced suddenly and gloomily. Turning around, he walked into the cover of the trees. He didn't run or jog, which was what he tended to do when he said he going for a "walk". He actually walked away, his head lowered and his footsteps slow and sluggish, looking as if the whole world had come to an end.

"Sonic…," Rouge began uncertainly, and then stopped. She had no idea what she was going to say to him next, and apparently Sonic knew this. He did not look back as he disappeared behind the thick line of trees. Rouge fidgeted, wondering whether to go after him or not.

"Leave him be," Shadow ordered curtly. Rouge turned an inquiring face to the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow had yet to open his eyes or look at her, his arms folded characteristically across his chest. "It's time that Sonic faces reality: That he won't always win; that sometimes, he's going to lose."

Despite appearing so calm, Shadow's voice also sounded depressed and despondent. Rouge narrowed her eyes at Shadow, though he couldn't see it.

"That doesn't mean he has to lose all hope," she snapped angrily, stomping away from him. "And the same goes for you, Shadow!" she added as she too vanished into the forest.

Shadow opened his eyes and looked over in the direction his two comrades had disappeared. With a sigh, he lowered his head and closed his eyes once more.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: So many Out-of-Character moments... *Sighs*<strong>


	20. Chapter 19: Never Give Up

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: Never Give Up<strong>

With the lasts of the raindrops having fallen to the Earth, and the final flashes of lightning followed by the rumbles of thunder having passed, the dark clouds slowly began to spread apart. Shafts of bright sunlight emerged from the gaps in the clouds, bathing the floating, mountainous island and the vegetation on it in warmth. In the center of the island stood a large stone altar, upon which sat a large, grass green emerald. As the rainfall ceased and the storm clouds began to disperse, the red echidna charged with guarding the emerald lowered the cloth he had slipped over his head.

"Finally," Knuckles sighed with relief, squeezing the water out of the cloth and laying it on the stone floor beside him to dry. The echidna rose to his feet, shaking off the small amounts of precipitation that had fallen on his body. _I thought that storm would never let up. Normally I can tell when a storm is approaching, but this time…_ He glanced up quizzically at the clearing sky. _This time I didn't see it coming. It's almost like a bad omen or something…_

He looked down from the sky at the Master Emerald, the raindrops on its surface glinting in the sunlight. A pleased smile appeared on Knuckles' face as he walked over to the Master Emerald. "Well, at least I won't have to clean the Master Emerald now," he said happily, scrubbing some of the water from the stone's surface with his glove. He grinned down at his reflection.

"Well hello there, good-looking!" he remarked at the image with a vain grin. The echidna struck a confident pose, puffing out his chest proudly. "Who's the most skilled treasure hunter in the world?" he asked his reflection. He then jerked a thumb at himself proudly. "I am! Who's the strongest person alive? I am! Who's the most handsome person alive? I am! Who's the smartest person alive! I am!"

He paused, as if reconsidering his words. He shook his head. "On second thought, the smartest person alive would be Tails." He then blinked, turning his head behind and up at the sky. He had heard a familiar sound coming from that direction, the sound of a spinning rotor. He saw exactly what he expected to see: a blue and yellow airplane with a yellow fox cub in the pilot's seat.

"Speaking of Tails," Knuckles murmured to himself as the Tornado approached. The echidna turned and walked to the edge of the altar, waving up at the plane.

"Hey Tails! What's up?" he called loudly. He wasn't sure if Tails could hear him from this distance, but it didn't matter: even if Tails had heard Knuckles, the fox did not reply, instead bringing his plane down to land on the altar beside the Master Emerald and its Guardian. The fox was in a state of anxiety, as evidenced by the fact that he leaped out of the plane before it had even landed properly, let alone come to a stop. A frantic-looking Tails stumbled over to a surprised Knuckles, gasping for breath as if he had just run the way here.

"Knuckles!" Tails panted, coming to a stop in front of his older friend and gesturing frantically and wildly. "Knuckles! Come quick! There's trouble! It's horrible! It's -!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Tails!" Knuckles replied hurriedly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him. "Now tell me slowly: What happened?"

Tails took a deep breath, and started his narrative, speaking in a rushed manner.

"It's Sonic. He and I, along with Shadow and Rouge, followed one of the Black Arms to a base of Eggman's. They were working for him all along. Anyway, Sonic sent me back home to get more reinforcements and firepower, but when I got to my workshop, it was in ruins! The Chaos Emeralds were all gone! I think Eggman must have sent one of his Black Arms to steal the Emeralds while Sonic and I were away. If that's the case, he'll have all seven Chaos Emeralds now!"

"So it was Eggman as usual," Knuckles muttered angrily, clenching his fists. He looked inquiringly at Tails. "What about Sonic and the others? Where are they?"

Tails' eyes widened in worry. "That's the problem, Knuckles. They said they were going to keep watch on Eggman's base until I got back, but now I can't communicate with them anymore. I've lost all contact with them!" He looked pleadingly at the echidna. "We have to go help them! They could be in trouble!"

Knuckles didn't waste any time weighing the pros and cons; he simply nodded his head in full agreement of Tails' words. "Alright, Tails, let's go," he agreed, taking a step towards the Tornado. Pleased, Tails ran after him.

"Well well. How fortunate," a deep, synthetic voice suddenly spoke out from behind them. "The fox cub and the Guardian of the Master Emerald, both here in the same location? This must be my lucky day."

Knuckles and Tails froze in their tracks and turned around to the source of the voice. There floated an extremely familiar figure. The gold eyes of the blue robot shifted from one Mobian to the other as a soft chuckle issued from its nonexistent mouth.

Knuckles' brow furrowed in puzzlement. "You're… Metal Sonic," he observed in surprise, gazing at the metallic hedgehog through indigo eyes.

"And you can talk," Tails added in equal surprise, also eyeing Metal Sonic.

"What a shrewd observation, fox cub. It's no wonder Doctor Eggman is constantly being outwitted by you," Metal Sonic remarked, his voice oozing with sarcasm. Knuckles took a challenging step towards the mechanical being.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, baring his powerful fists. "Did Eggman send you to steal the Master Emerald?"

Metal Sonic seemed offended at this accusation; well, as offended as a robot can look without being capable of forming any facial expressions. His voice dropped a few octaves, taking on a sinister and threatening quality.

"Eggman? You think I'm still working for that bloated buffoon?" he spat angrily, clenching a clawed robotic hand into a fist. "I am here on my own free will, Echidna." He then swiveled his gaze to the giant gemstone behind the two Mobians. "And don't worry. I'm not here to steal you're precious rock. I'm here to…" He let his words hang, before he suddenly vanished from sight. A confused Knuckles and Tails blinked and glanced around for the robot, and immediately spotted him hovering above the Master Emerald, his torso level with the top of the gemstone.

"… shatter your greatest chess piece," Metal Sonic continued dramatically.

Before either Knuckles or Tails could react, Metal Sonic had slammed his left hand onto the Master Emerald forcefully. A flash of light burst forth, and when it faded, Knuckles and Tails saw that the Master Emerald was no longer on the altar. Instead, its fractured segments floated in the air above Metal Sonic, who had his arms spread wide and his head raised up at the shards.

Knuckles growled in anger. "Give those back!" he roared, charging at the mechanical hedgehog with fists ready for combat. With a battle cry, he lunged at his opponent, pulling his arm back and preparing to deliver a mighty blow to his target. Metal Sonic merely lowered his gaze from the shards to the rushing echidna, not even altering his stance. He did not appear to be preparing himself to block Knuckles' attack.

Yet despite Metal Sonic's apparent reluctance to protect himself, when Knuckles came within three feet of the metal being, the echidna suddenly felt a wave of shocking energy travel through his body. A cry of pain erupted from Knuckles' mouth as he was thrown back from Metal Sonic, landing hard on his back and coughing up a minute amount of blood. Tails hurried over to his injured friend while Metal Sonic chuckled arrogantly.

"Foolish echidna. You cannot defeat, not as I am right now!" He then returned his attention to the Master Emerald shards. He crossed his arms across his chest in an X-shape, and then quickly spread them apart.

"Chaos Control!" he shouted. The shards glowed brightly before disappearing with a flash of light. Knuckles' eyes widened as he moaned in defeat.

"No!"

Metal Sonic laughed triumphantly, lowering his arms and peering curiously at Knuckles and Tails. "Now let's see you try and find them," he mocked evilly. He then pressed a finger against his metal cheek, as if suddenly struck by a thought. "No wait, I shouldn't say that. Because when I'm done with you two, you won't have the _life_ left in you to look for those shards."

And as he turned his gaze back to Knuckles and Tails, his golden eyes glowed brightly with bloodlust, before he lunged at the pair.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>_

Shadow strolled through the forest, the thick canopy of leaves overheard blocking the majority of sunlight beating down from the cloudless sky. He stepped over fallen trees and rocks, his Air Shoes trampling the pine needles and twigs underfoot. His crimson eyes scanned the surrounding trees, an annoyed frown present on his face. It had been an hour after Sonic and Rouge's little "fight", and though Rouge had eventually returned to Shadow after calming down, Sonic had not. Both frustrated and worried at the same time, Rouge had asked Shadow to go look for Sonic. No. Not asked. She had _demanded_, _ordered_ that he go find him. And she wouldn't take no, or (in Shadow's case) silent defiance for an answer. So, Shadow had eventually given up trying to resist and decided to do what the nagging woman wanted.

Not a single bird chirped in the forest, no animals grazed on the grass or munched on leaves, no arboreal creatures stared down at Shadow from the trees. It was just as Sonic had said: this island was completely deserted of all life save the plants, insects, and, at the moment, the three Mobians. There was that same eerie silence everywhere on the island, one that was only present in lifeless habitats like deserts or burned woodlands. Even the faint chirping of crickets was barely audible; the silence was that extreme. In fact, the only prominent sound that could be heard from anywhere on the island was the ocean waves slamming into the borders of the island.

Shadow suddenly came to a stop, having at last found what he was searching. The blue hedgehog was seated on a high branch in a tree, his arms folded across his chest and his stern eyes glaring through the line of trees at sea beyond. Sonic appeared to be too lost in thought to notice Shadow's presence, however.

"There you are," Shadow stated apathetically, walking over to stand underneath the branch and peer up at his rival. "I've been looking for you, Sonic."

The blue hero merely glanced sideways at Shadow before returning to his gaze to its previous position.

"Leave me alone, Shadow," he requested quietly. The Ultimate Lifeform frowned.

"I can't do that," Shadow responded firmly, taking a step towards the Sonic. Now that he had found Sonic, Shadow was determined to make the hedgehog see reason, to get him to stop moping; even if it made him sick in the gut doing so. But the problem was, how was he going to do it? Sympathy and comfort had not yielded a satisfactory result, and if Rouge couldn't comfort Sonic with such words, there was no way an anti-social like Shadow could do any better. He had to try knocking some sense into the blue hero, however.

"Sonic, stop sulking around, it's not like you," Shadow began. "You're friends are in danger, I understand that. But that's no reason for you to give up hope. Maybe if you spent less time moping and actually tried to think positively, we might find a way of this island and a way to save your friends. If you're friends are in peril, then sulking won't save them."

He paused, as if considering what to say next. Sonic, however, did not want to hear anymore. He leaped off the branch and landed in front of Shadow. He walked past the Ultimate Lifeform with his head bowed.

"Leave me alone, Shadow," he repeated, this time more firmly. Shadow growled and grabbed Sonic's roughly by the shoulder, stopping him.

"I wasn't finished," he hissed in annoyance. Sonic turned an equally annoyed face to Shadow and shrugged his arm of his shoulder.

"Leave. Me. Alone," Sonic stated for the third time, his voice much more aggressive this time. Turning his back to Shadow, he began to walk away. He had only gotten ten steps away from the black hedgehog when he sensed something behind him. In the nick of time, Sonic slid to the side as a Chaos Spear hit the ground an inch from the spot he'd just been standing on. Snarling, Sonic turned flaming eyes to Shadow.

"What was that for?" Sonic barked vehemently as Shadow lowered his arm. The Ultimate Lifeform's face was completely devoid of any expression, as still as a corpse's.

"If words won't reach you," Shadow began in a low, sinister voice, "then maybe force will."

Sonic growled as he began circling the black hedgehog, who mimicked his action and moved in the same direction. Green eyes burnt a hole into black fur while red ones did the same to the blue fur. The two hedgehogs slowly circled each other, silently sizing each other up.

"I don't want to fight you, Shadow," Sonic stated calmly, though his body was tensed for battle nonetheless.

Shadow smirked. "Understandable. After all, you can't beat me in a fight, _Sonic_." He spat the blue hedgehog's name out as if it were a disgusting taste in his mouth.

Sonic snarled indignantly. "We'll see about that, _Shadow_."

And with that, he rushed the black hedgehog, throwing a punch his way. Shadow sidestepped and attempted to launch a kick at Sonic's vulnerable back, but the blue hedgehog ducked in time and grabbed Shadow's outstretched leg. With a grunt, Sonic threw Shadow threw the air and at a tree. Shadow twisted his body in mid-air so that he flew feet-first at the tree. As soon as his feet came in contact with the trunk, Shadow pushed off from the tree and shot towards Sonic, curling mid-flight into a ball and Spin-Dashing at his opponent. Sonic leaped over his oncoming adversary just in time, but Shadow was expecting that reaction. As he shot under Sonic, Shadow uncurled from his ball and reached out with a hand to grab Sonic by the ankle, dragging him along with the momentum of his Spin-Dash and slamming him into a tree. Pinning the blue hedgehog against the trunk, Shadow smashed his fist into Sonic's chest, winding him but not causing any fatal damage. Saliva flew out from the blue hedgehog's mouth as he dropped to his knees.

Stepping back from the short-winded hedgehog, Shadow waited patiently for Sonic to rise to his feet. The blue hedgehog did so, wincing slightly from the painful impact with the tree trunk.

"Are you ready to listen to reason now?" Shadow demanded crossly, his mouth curled in his signature frown. "Or do you want me to punch you in the face this time?"

Sonic coughed slightly, breathing heavily and clutching his sore chest. He glared up at Shadow. "No, I'm not. You have no right to try and comfort me, not when you don't understand what I'm going through." Sonic clenched his fists angrily, grinding his teeth against each other. "My friends are in danger. They're going to be killed; they might already be dead. And there's nothing I can do about it," he lamented, the precursory wetness of tears welling up in his glaring eyes. "You have no idea what it feels like being completely helpless to save your friends, those you care about! You have no idea what it's like!"

Shadow stared silently at Sonic, not only surprised at the distressed state of mind he was in, but at the nerve he had. Shadow, not know what it was like to feel helpless? _Shadow_?

"Can you even hear yourself?" Shadow snarled, his eyes flashing in anger as he took a step closer to the despondent hedgehog. "Me? Not know how it feels to be helpless and incapable of saving my friends? Do you even know who you're talking to?" His voice suddenly dropped to a sinister hiss, his teeth gritted in fury. "Did you forget what happened to me aboard the ARK fifty years ago? Did you forget what happened to Maria?"

Despite his rage, Sonic looked horrified as he realized what he had just said, and to whom he had just said it. How idiotic of him, how insensitive of him. Maria had been gunned down right before Shadow's eyes while he had watched powerlessly from an escape pod. The person Shadow had loved the most had been killed right in front of him, and he hadn't been able to do a thing to help her. Of all the people Sonic knew, Shadow was probably the only one who could actually relate to the pain he felt right now.

But Sonic was too emotionally broken to realize that last part. Still furious, he pointed an indignant finger at Shadow. "Then stop preaching me about not losing hope! _You _couldn't save your friend back then, so don't -!"

He didn't get a chance to finish, for Shadow's eyes had flashed once more in anger before he pounced at Sonic, smashing his fist into his face and knocking him to the ground. Shadow stood over Sonic, glaring down with bared teeth at the blue hero's bloodied face, and crushing his foot mercilessly into Sonic's chest.

"Don't. Say. Another. Word," Shadow threatened, applying pressure to Sonic's chest with each fragmented word. Sonic gasped in pain, trying to remove Shadow's foot from atop his ribcage, but the Ultimate Lifeform would not budge. He pressed down harder, making Sonic howl in pain and stop his struggling. Shadow's eyes glinted vehemently.

"This isn't about me, Sonic," Shadow hissed, looking down at the pinned hedgehog. "This is about _you_. There's only room for _one _brooding hedgehog on this team, and that's _me. _I understand what you're going through; I've experienced it as well. But I never lost hope. I persevered, and so can you. So stop acting like such a tragic, misunderstood hero already."

Shadow lifted his foot off Sonic's torso and stepped back, the fire in his crimson eyes dying down. "You're role is to be the charismatic, confident hero that everyone adores," he finished in a slightly grim tone.

He extended a hand comradely to Sonic, offering to help him up. The blue hedgehog looked at it uncertainly, before swatting it away angrily and rising to his feet. He glared at Shadow once more.

"Leave me alone," he repeated hollowly, stomping away from Shadow.

The black hedgehog lowered his hand to his side and snarled at the departing one. He, too, turned around and began walking away from Sonic. As he vanished from Sonic's sight and vice versa, Shadow suddenly heard the flapping of wings in front of him. He looked up irately as Rouge landed on the ground before him, looking concerned.

"Shadow? Are you alright?" she asked affectionately, after noticing his expression. Shadow did not answer, simply walking past her in silence. Rouge followed him with her worried eyes.

"Sonic still hasn't cheered up yet, has he?" she asked sadly.

Shadow stopped, his fierce gaze fixed on the ground and his hands clasped into fists. He did not, however, answer Rouge's query. Nonetheless, the treasure hunter got her answer. Rouge sighed dejectedly.

"Maybe he's right. Maybe there is no hope."

Shadow looked up in anger at Rouge's words, though he did not meet her troubled gaze. "No," he denied stubbornly. "Sonic may have lost all hope for victory, but I haven't. I made a promise, both to myself and Maria, that I would protect this planet and its inhabitants. And no matter how hopeless the situation is, I will not give up. I will never give up."

With that proclamation, Shadow walked away from Rouge. The bat watched the retreating figure of Shadow, and smiled affectionately.


	21. Chapter 20: Disappearance

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 20: Disappearance<strong>

The Sun was finally setting when Rouge found Shadow standing on a cluster of rocks at the bank of the island. He stood on a long outcropping, the water crashing into the rocks underneath the ledge. Shadow's arms were folded in front of his chest, and he was gazing out at the sea with detached eyes. Rouge sauntered up to the black hedgehog and nudged him in the side to gain his attention. Shadow blinked as if coming out of a daydream and glanced at Rouge for a millisecond before turning his head back to the horizon.

"What're you doing out here, Shadow?" Rouge asked curiously, squinting ahead at the sea as if trying to find the cause of Shadow's undivided attention.

"Thinking," Shadow replied shortly without averting his gaze.

"Oh? What about?"

"About how we can get off this God-damned island."

Rouge pursed her lips pensively. "Earlier, I flew as high as I could to get a good look at our surroundings." She sighed sadly. "All I saw was water. Sonic was right; there's no land nearby."

Shadow grimaced. "If that blasted hedgehog would stop sulking and come help us, we might be able to come up with a way to escape."

Rouge raised an eyebrow curiously at Shadow. "Is that really what you think?" she asked skeptically. "Do you really think that a change in Sonic's mood would help us that much?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes, as if contemplating Rouge's words. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "No, you're right, I don't believe that," he concurred grimly. "But seeing that idiot in a depressed mood just doesn't sit right with me."

Rouge laughed suddenly, patting Shadow on the shoulder. "Aww, Shadow, that's so sweet of you!" she remarked happily, still chuckling.

Shadow turned an inquiring gaze to her. "What?"

"You're worried about Sonic, that's what!" she answered, seemingly proud of Shadow. The black hedgehog blinked in confusion.

"What? I never said that."

Rouge smiled amiably at him. "Ah, but it's what you _implied_," she informed him. She suddenly tilted her head curiously at Shadow. "Don't tell me you yourself haven't noticed that you're concerned for Sonic?"

Shadow blinked once more and looked away slowly, still looking confused. "Now that you mention it, I have been experiencing an odd, warm and fuzzy feeling in my gut lately," he admitted, placing a hand on his stomach and looking down at it.

Rouge rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, that's called "compassion", Shadow," she explained exasperatedly.

Shadow shot a startled glance at her.

"Is is fatal?" he asked seriously. Rouge rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder playfully. Shadow smirked and looked away back to the ocean.

* * *

><p>"Stupid Shadow," Sonic growled angrily, repeatedly slamming his fists into an innocent tree trunk. "He thinks he can just - he doesn't have a clue - that stuck-up jerk!" His rage leaving him incapable of forming legible sentences, Sonic continued pounding the poor tree in silence. It was only when his knuckles began throbbing in pain that he stopped, strutting away from the damaged tree in anger. He tramped thoughtlessly through the woods and eventually found himself outside the tree cover, standing on one side of the continuous beach lining the edge of the island. He could see the vast ocean, with its evil water, directly in front of him. Another wave of anger flared up inside him once more as he turned away from the ocean and kicked a nearby boulder angrily. However, all he got was a sore foot, and after limping around and cursing silently in pain, Sonic took a seat on the offending rock and dropped his head into his hands.<p>

Soon, the soft roar of the ocean waves and the whistle of the wind began having a soothing effect on Sonic. The sounds of Nature calmed his conflicting mind considerably, and he slowly began to think over all he had done and said since arriving on this island. And the more he thought, the more depressed he became. But this time, it was a different kind of depression. It wasn't the depression brought about by a hopeless situation; it was the depression that came when one realized they had done something terribly wrong. It was that depression which Sonic was experiencing at the moment.

_What's wrong with me? _he asked himself in wonder. _This isn't like me. Shadow and Rouge are only trying to help me, why am I being such an ass? _His mind slid to his endangered friends, and what Metal Sonic might be doing, or would already have done, to them. However, he didn't rage in anger, but quietly thought it over, remembering Shadow and Rouge's words.

"_What happened to the cocky and self-assured hedgehog that you always are?"_

"_You're friends are in danger, I understand that. But that's no reason for you to give up hope. Maybe if you spent less time moping and actually tried to think positively, we might find a way of this island and a way to save your friends. If you're friends are in peril, then sulking won't save them."_

"_You've faced worse situations than this, Sonic. And you always pulled through. And you will this time, too."_

"_I persevered, and so can you."_

"_You're role is to be the charismatic, confident hero that everyone adores."_

"_You're Sonic the Hedgehog, remember?"_

Slowly, Sonic raised his head and looked up at the sky. _God, what have I been doing? _he realized, shaking his head and sliding off the boulder. He glanced back at the forest. _I've got to go apologize to Shadow and Rouge_, he decided firmly. He grinned suddenly, looking at last like the jovial hedgehog that he was. Turning around and away from the ocean, Sonic took a step towards the tree line.

And immediately turned around when a bright light appeared behind him.

"What in the world?" Sonic wondered, taking a step closer to the light. It was about five feet in diameter, and spherical in shape; a soft, crackling sound reminiscent to electricity was issuing from its faintly pulsating form. In the oncoming darkness, it stood out like, well, a flash of bright light. As Sonic peered at it through wondering eyes, the glow of the sphere began to dim. Sonic watched in increased puzzlement until the glare finally disappeared. And then his eyes widened in shock.

"You -!" he began in astonishment.

* * *

><p>Rouge stroked her chin thoughtfully. "The problem isn't so much as finding a way off this island; it's more of <em>where<em> we're going to go if we do. I mean, we could build a boat or something, but it's pointless if we don't know which direction to go in. We can't exactly pick a direction at random and hope we come across _some_ form of civilization. We'd probably run out of food and water before then; and then we would all die from starvation."

"I wouldn't," Shadow interjected stubbornly. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform. I don't eat or drink, remember?"

Rouge rolled her eyes at Shadow's vain words and equally vain tone. "Yes of course, how silly of me," she muttered in exasperation. "I should have taken your exceptionality into consideration. Sometimes I forget you're so special; you barely mention it."

She leered at Shadow to show that she was being sarcastic. Shadow smirked back in response.

And then a startling scream pierced through the air.

Shadow and Rouge jerked in surprise and turned their heads in the direction of scream, their faces holding a look of fear mixed with wonder. Rouge glanced over at Shadow slowly and deliberately.

"That - that was Sonic, wasn't it?" she asked nervously, looking to the black hedgehog for confirmation. Shadow did not reply, instead charging forwards into the woods and towards the source of the cry. Rouge spread her wings and lifted off the ground, following Shadow from above. The two weaved through the forest trees until they reached the opposite side of the island. As the emerged out of the gloom of the trees and into the sunlit beach, the two gasped in surprise at the figure before them, silhouetted by the Sun setting behind it. The figure turned cold, radiating eyes of a gold light to look tauntingly at the two Mobians.

"Metal Sonic?" Rouge whispered in surprise, watching the robot through wondering eyes. The robot tilted its head at them, its mannerism giving off the impression that it was smiling conceitedly at them. Shadow scrutinized the mechanical hedgehog suspiciously, wondering what he was doing here. A part of him noted how the metal hedgehog was actually paying attention and acknowledging their presence, unlike last time, when it had only been Sonic who had held his attention. It was then that Shadow realized what was missing from this scene. He glanced around earnestly, and when he did not see what he was looking for, he turned fierce eyes to the super-powered machine.

"Where's Sonic?" Shadow demanded, taking a challenging step towards Metal Sonic. "What did you do to him?"

If Metal Sonic had lips, let alone a mouth, he would certainly have been smirking right now. "What did I do to him?" he repeated curiously, as if confused by the simple query. He tilted his head to the side in amusement. "I would think it was obvious. I killed him, of course." He raised his hands and simulated an exploding gesture with them. "Poof! I blew him up into little pieces; tiny, insignificant pieces."

Rouge gasped in horror and placed a hand in front of her opened mouth. Beside her, Shadow was watching the metal hedgehog in apparent calm, but the faint trembling of his fists indicated the inner turmoil he was experiencing. Sonic, dead? No, it couldn't be. That couldn't be…

And then Shadow realized why it couldn't be. He raised narrowed eyes up at Metal Sonic.

"You're lying," he declared. Rouge glanced at Shadow in surprise, whilst Metal Sonic looked at him in amusement.

"Oh? And what makes you think that?" he inquired interestedly.

"You said you weren't going to kill him straight away," Shadow spat out vehemently. "You said you were going to take your time, make him suffer before you ended his life. You wouldn't kill him yet. I doubt he's suffered enough to satisfy your desire for vengeance." He looked pointedly at Metal Sonic. "Which means Sonic's still alive."

Rouge blinked, and then a look of relief overcame her face. She, too, glared at Metal Sonic. Beside her, Shadow once more took a step closer to the mechanical hedgehog, his voice now threatening and cold.

"Now, where is Sonic?" he repeated slowly and determinedly.

A synthetic cackle issued from Metal Sonic's nonexistent mouth. "Oh, don't worry. Wherever I've sent him, he's perfectly safe from harm." His eyes glowed maliciously. "He shall remain there, until the time comes for him to experience the pain and suffering I have in store for him!"

He cackled maniacally, turning around to indicate his departure. Growling, Shadow pulled his right arm back and swung it forwards violently in a horizontal arc. A bolt of Chaos Energy erupted from Shadow's fingertips and flew at the still-guffawing Metal Sonic's vulnerable back.

The laughter came to an abrupt halt as Metal Sonic suddenly swung his arm back and brought it in the path of the approaching Chaos Spear. Shadow's watched in speechless surprise as the Chaos Spear collided with Metal Sonic's bared hand and dissipated with a sizzling sound. Metal Sonic chuckled once more at Shadow's bewildered expression as he turned back to face them. His eyes suddenly glowed maliciously as he himself swung his left arm forward at Shadow. Shadow just barely grabbed Rouge and pulled her out of the way as a barrage of Chaos Spears impaled the sand where they had been standing last.

Metal Sonic laughed in amusement as he turned his head to his left, where Shadow stood supporting Rouge. The female bat had a glowing Chaos Spear piercing her left leg, right above the ankle, the result of Shadow not having reacted fast enough. Shadow frowned down at the injury before carefully helping Rouge down onto the ground. He noted the pained expression on her face as she cradled her wounded leg. Shadow then raised glaring eyes at Metal Sonic, who was grinning without a mouth.

"Nicely dodged," Metal Sonic praised, clapping his hands lightly. "But it seems you're not fast enough to keep up with me now." His gold eyes rested tauntingly on the bat's injury.

Shadow narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Rouge protectively, as if worried that Metal Sonic was planning on striking her once more. "You copied my technique and fired it back at me," Shadow accused. "You used your Super Form's power to enhance them."

Metal Sonic laughed softly. "Yes, and no," he responded teasingly, floating ever-so-slightly closer to the tensed hedgehog. "As you said, my Super Form has certainly augmented my capabilities greatly. But have you forgotten how I copied the abilities of the water lord Chaos?" His robotic fist suddenly clenched and was lifted so that it was level with his emotionless eyes. "With Chaos' data integrated into my memory, I can manipulate Chaos Energy effortlessly now. Its usage is now second-nature to me, just like it is for you."

He titled his in acknowledgement at Shadow. "You're proficiency in manipulating Chaos Energy is second-to-none amongst Sonic's friends. You can manipulate it without an actual source, unlike the others. No matter where the Chaos Energy is held, you're probably the only one who could use it properly without issue." He suddenly chuckled softly. "However, right now, this penchant of yours for controlling Chaos Powers pales in comparison to mine."

Shadow grimaced angrily, curling his hands into fists in preparation for battle. Metal Sonic may have sounded conceited and over-confident, but Shadow was positive that the robot's last words held truth in them. The Super Form was a powerful transformation, capable of making the user one of the most powerful beings alive. With its power, and his own ability to copy and mimic another's skills, Metal Sonic was indeed a powerful foe now. As if he hadn't been a big enough threat before.

"So what are you going to do?" Shadow demanded brashly, glowering at his metal opponent. "Kill us?"

Metal Sonic shook his head. "No, I'm not going to kill you right now," he repeated, delivering the exact same line he had to Sonic hours ago. He tilted his head at the pair, seemingly grinning malevolently at them. "You see, I have plans for you two; plans for which I need you alive. Until then, you will live. So enjoy yourselves, Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat."

With another maniacal cackle, he vanished with a burst of gold light.

With his adversary now gone, Shadow relaxed his stance, still frowning at the spot where Metal Sonic had last been standing - hovering. Sighing, he turned back to Rouge, who was still clutching her wounded leg. She had not spoken a word since receiving the injury, most likely due to the pain she was experiencing.

Shadow bent down beside Rouge and gently pulled the Chaos Spear out of her leg, tossing it aside uncaringly. The Spear vanished a few moments after lying on the sand, but neither Shadow nor Rouge paid it any attention. Shadow examined the wound on Rouge's leg; the bolt had penetrated through her boots and lodged itself into her flesh. However, based on the amount of blood seeping out the wound, Shadow concluded that the wound was, fortunately, not very deep or fatal.

"I think it's only a flesh wound," Shadow reported to the wincing Rouge. He helped her move closer to a tree and had her lean back against it. Straightening up, the black hedgehog glanced around himself. "Wait here," he ordered Rouge, stepping away from her and vanishing behind a line of shrubbery.

Rouge sighed and gently caressed her damaged leg. Now that the Spear had been removed, it didn't hurt that much, particularly because the wound was quite shallow. Nonetheless, it was still uncomfortable. Plus, she felt as if the enormous amount of energy channeled into the Chaos Spear had seeped into her wound and was paining her more than it should have. This was of course just her imagination playing tricks on her, but she was not aware of this. She elected not to voice this thought to Shadow, as he would most likely scoff and say she was being melodramatic.

The ruffling of leaves in the bushes announced the arrival of Shadow, carrying a few leaves and twigs in his hands. Crouching down beside Rouge, he began cleaning her wound and then fashioned a bandage for her wound out of the materials he'd scavenged. It wasn't exactly the most effective bandage, or the most secure one, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

"I am so glad you never decided to be a doctor, Shadow," Rouge remarked as she watched Shadow fumble with the makeshift bandage. "You would make a horrible one."

In response, Shadow pulled at the two strips in his hands to tighten her bandage. Rouge gasped in pain and glared at the smirking hedgehog.

"Not to so tight, damn it!" she scolded crossly, but she didn't loosen the wrapping. Instead, she inspected the bandage before leaning back comfortably against the tree as she watched the setting Sun. Shadow stood beside her, also gazing absent-mindedly at the sunset. Rouge glanced at his face and knew what he was thinking about.

"I wonder where Sonic is right now," Rouge thought out aloud. Next to her, Shadow narrowed his eyes while his mouth stretched into a thin line.

"Wherever he is, he's alive," Shadow voiced confidently. "For now," he continued grimly.

Rouge looked down from Shadow to her wounded leg. What an ironic twist of fate this was. Slightly over a month ago, Rouge's brash actions had gotten Shadow injured. Now, in a sadistic twist, it had been Shadow's brash action that had gotten Rouge injured. An eye for an eye, it seemed.

Still, if Shadow hadn't acted when he did, Rouge would most likely have had a Chaos Spear impaled straight through her heart; a little wound on her leg was nothing compared to that. Rouge glanced at Shadow thoughtfully. He had said he didn't blame her for that gruesome injury he had received; well, she didn't blame him for provoking Metal Sonic into attacking them. It was only fair.

Still, that didn't mean she wasn't going to mock him for getting "owned" by Metal Sonic like that.

* * *

><p>Emerald green eyes appeared and disappeared behind drooping eyelids in alternation as Sonic blinked slowly, arousing from his slumber. No, not from slumber: from his state of unconsciousness. Groaning, Sonic placed a hand against his throbbing head and rose from his sprawled position on the ground. Blinking through faintly hazy vision, Sonic glanced around himself, and then his eyes widened suddenly. His mouth dropping open, he rose to his feet and glanced at the ocean water completely circling him. Sonic then glanced down with dread to look at what he was standing on, and his heart dropped into his gut.<p>

He was standing on a narrow piece of stone barely large enough for him to stand on. And the rock was completely surrounded by miles and miles of deep water.

"Oh no…," Sonic groaned miserably, slumping down on the rock with his legs dangling over the edge and a foot above the shifting ocean water. Sonic clutched his head in distress, crying out in frustration. Just when he had finally gotten himself to stop being so negative, just when he had convinced himself that things could not get any worse, _this_ happened. That sadistic robot had teleported Sonic away from the island he, Shadow, and Rouge had been trapped on and brought him _here_. Now Sonic was stuck on a little rock in the middle of the ocean, and neither Shadow nor Rouge knew where he was. This was just perfect.

Metal Sonic was going to pay for this. That scumbag would pay.

_I'm sorry, guys_, Sonic thought miserably, closing his eyes.


	22. Chapter 21: Discovery

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21: Discovery<strong>

The Sun had set and then risen once more when our story continues. If either of the two marooned Mobians hazarded a guess at the time, they would probably have agreed that it was sometime around eleven o'clock in the morning. Of course, even that approximation could be completely inaccurate, as the only method they had for determining the time was the Sun's position in the sky. And honestly, neither Shadow nor Rouge had much experience in telling time through that method.

As her injury had only been a mere flesh wound, Rouge's was not in the same debilitated state that Shadow had recently been in. She was, however, starving. It had been an entire day since she had had anything to eat. After staying up the majority of the night thinking, the treasure huntress had finally nodded off to sleep a couple of hours before dawn. She had then woken up to a growling stomach, and soon the hunger pangs in her stomach had taken hold of her. After informing the inattentive Shadow that she was going to go look for something to eat (and after having Shadow curtly decline her offer to find him something to eat as well), Rouge could be found strolling through the woods, searching for her "breakfast"; or "brunch", as it was pretty close to lunch time.

Her leg was no longer paining as much as had been the previous day; however, it was a different matter when she applied pressure to it. Thanks to the wound, Rouge could no longer walk on both legs properly, something which she had pointed out to Shadow an hour after receiving the injury, when she had tried and failed to stand on her feet. Shadow had not seemed too interested in Rouge's lack of mobility, merely remarking off-handedly that she could just fly wherever she wanted rather than walk. Rouge had thought this a good solution, but she felt it was still a bit impractical. So, after nagging Shadow for long enough, she had gotten the Ultimate Lifeform to carve out a crude crutch for her, using a tree branch. It wasn't the exactly a well-crafted crutch (as Shadow had been using a Chaos Spear like a chisel for carving), but it was effective enough. Therefore, Rouge was currently limping through the woods slowly with Shadow's crutch supporting her, the azure eyes scanning the surrounding vegetation for food.

And find it she did. She happened to stumble across a peach tree, from which she plucked one of the many fruits the tree bore. She munched on it as she continued her stroll, glancing around with mild interest at the forest. Just as before, there was not a single animal looking back at her; only a few bugs. Thinking she had best sit down and rest her leg, Rouge spotted a large rock the size of a minivan nearby and limped over to it. She sat down on it with a sigh, deposited the crutch beside her on the ground, and continued eating her fruit.

Slowly, her thoughts slid to her and Shadow's current predicament: how to get off the island. Shadow, having stayed up all night due to not requiring any sleep, had answered an awakening Rouge's question of what he had been doing all night with the one-word reply: "Thinking". Rouge hadn't bothered asking what he had been thinking about; it was the same thing she had been thinking about before falling asleep, the very thought that had kept her up most of the night in contemplation. It seemed that the only things the two of them could think of at the moment were how to get off the island, and where Sonic was. And as much as they mulled over those questions, they couldn't arrive at a satisfactory answer.

Her mind still swirling with thoughts, Rouge placed a hand on the surface of the rock and began to absent-mindedly tap her fingers against it. It was at that moment that she noticed something odd about her seat. Flapping her wings, Rouge lifted off the rock and hovered inches above the ground in front of it like a ghost. She peered down at the boulder quizzically. With the hand not holding the fruit, Rouge felt the rock's surface, asserting the fact that it indeed _felt_ like a rock. She gently rapped her knuckles against the rock's surface, and then frowned. It may have felt like a rock, but it didn't _sound_ like one. She tapped the boulder once more, and once more she heard the faint echo of her rap reverberating inside the rock, almost as if it was hollow. Confused, Rouge stared at the boulder for another few seconds, before turning and flying off back to the shore where Shadow was, completely forgetting the crutch that lay beside the stone.

"Shadow! Come here, there's something I need to show you!" Rouge called excitedly as soon as she emerged from the under the trees and flew into the dazzling sunlight. Shadow looked over his shoulder at the eager bat as she gestured to him to follow her. Wondering what in the world could warrant such a reaction from Rouge, Shadow followed the still-flying bat into the trees and back to the rock she had been sitting on earlier.

"Look what I found," Rouge said breathlessly, once more hovering in front of the boulder and pointing an eager finger at it. Shadow walked up to the rock and examined it quizzically.

"Oh my God. A giant rock," he remarked impassively (and with an abundance of sarcasm) as he turned disinterested eyes to the bat.

Rouge rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No duh. Now hit it!" she commanded. Still puzzled, Shadow kicked the rock with his leg, and then blinked in surprise as he realized what Rouge was trying to convey to him. He gave the rock another kick to ensure he wasn't hearing things. Glancing inquiringly at Rouge, Shadow bent down and inspected the rock more thoroughly.

"It's hollow," he noted with interest, running a hand over the surface that felt like a rock. He lowered his hand to the base of the boulder, where it met with the ground, and spotted what seemed like a depression in the dirt. Peering more closely at it, Shadow slid his hand into what he discovered was a gap between the bottom of the rock and the ground. He could feel something underneath the boulder with his groping hand.

"There's something under this boulder," he announced to Rouge, who had resumed the consumption of her fruit. Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Something made of _metal_," he added, in a voice that could be considered excited. Sliding his other hand into the gap, Shadow gripped the base of the rock firmly. His fingers curled around the inner edge of the hollow rock as he lifted the rock off the ground and pushed it back with a low grunt. He then stepped back, and both he and Rouge glanced down at the "metal something" underneath the boulder.

Rouge inched forward. "It's a trapdoor," she observed curiously, tilting her head sideways as she surveyed it. "But why is it here? Where does it lead to?"

She glanced at Shadow, as if expecting him to have an answer to her questions. Shadow, however, did not reply, instead bending down and grasping the metal doorknobs on the trapdoor and, with another grunt, swinging the doors open. The rusting hinges creaked loudly as the doors split apart to reveal a flight of stairs descending into complete darkness. It was clear that they most likely led to some underground location.

Shadow straightened up while Rouge bent forward, her hands on her knees as she squinted into the darkness. "I wonder what's down there?" she voiced out loud. Shadow smirked at her and gestured to the stairs.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Rouge smiled in acknowledgement. "You first?" she offered, nodding at Shadow.

Shadow shook his head. "As if. You go first. After all, you're both a bat and a thief. You thrive in the darkness," he sneered mockingly. Rouge leered at him.

"Yeah well, _you're_ a shadow. You _are_ darkness," she retorted in equal mockery.

Shadow rolled his eyes faintly at her stubbornness, turning to face the staircase. He raised his right hand until it was level with his eyes. Concentrating, the hedgehog channeled Chaos Energy to said hand, as if he were preparing to fire a Chaos Spear. However, instead of shaping the energy into a spear, he had the Chaos Energy seep out of his hand in the form of a glow, turning his entire hand into some kind of light bulb. With his hand now illuminated, Shadow cautiously began stepping down the staircase and into the darkness, with Rouge hovering down the steps after him.

The Chaos Energy on his hand helped significantly; he could see where he was going, and that was always good, but at the moment all he could see where the seemingly never-ending stairs dropping below him and the closed walls and ceiling around them. Neither Shadow nor Rouge said anything as they descended the staircase, both wondering what they would find at the bottom of the steps.

They continued going down for nearly five minutes, before Shadow's light fell upon the bottom of the staircase and the archway at the base which led to the area beyond. The two Mobians reached the bottom and stepped into a ten-foot wide, square room with fifteen feet tall walls. The reflecting glow from Shadow's hand on the walls, floor, and ceiling revealed the entire room to be made of metal. The whole room was shrouded in darkness save for the spot illuminated by Shadow's light. Dust was everywhere, giving off the impression of age and neglect. The walls seemed to be bare, with only the wall directly opposite Shadow and Rouge harboring a large, metal door.

It was to this door that Shadow and Rouge moved towards, still glancing around the room they were in. Once he stood before it, Shadow wrapped a hand around the brass, dusty doorknob and pulled the door open on its squeaking, aged hinges. Beyond was a dark, narrow corridor. After glancing behind him to ensure that Rouge was still there, Shadow walked forward and down the corridor; Rouge followed suit. A few seconds later the two Mobians reached a fork in the path. Four passages, all leading down different directions, stood before them. Shadow examined them carefully, but he couldn't tell where the hallways led, let alone which one they should take.

"Four paths, huh?" Rouge voiced, also examining their choices. "Wonder which one we should take?"

Shadow did not answer, apparently too busy inspecting the area.

"How about that one?" Rouge finally said, pointing at the corridor directly opposite them. Noticing that the hedgehog was still not paying attention, Rouge nudged him to gain his attention and repeated her sentence. Shadow could not see anything distinguishing about the chosen path, but it was a random guess after all, and that was all they had at the moment. Therefore, he nodded in agreement and let Rouge lead the way this time.

They walked through the dark hallway in silence, making use of Shadow's illuminated hand to examine their surroundings as they did so. The walls here were bare as well, with no windows or pictures. Every now and then, Shadow and Rouge would pass a pair of sealed, metal doors, but otherwise they saw or heard nothing. The entire place seemed dead.

"This must have once been a base of some kind," Rouge declared as she looked around. Her voice sounded out-of-place in the unnaturally quiet "base" (as she had put it), her voice echoing off the metal walls faintly. "Probably military. Or research."

"Well, whatever it once was, it's abandoned now," Shadow replied slowly as he, too, surveyed the metal backdrop. "We should look for the control room; we might be able to obtain some useful information from there."

In front of him, Rouge gestured to a door they had just passed, the fifth one so far. "Maybe it's behind one of these doors?" she suggested, glancing back at the black hedgehog. The Ultimate Lifeform shook his head in disagreement.

"No. The control room will be the most important room in the facility; I doubt its entrance will be as bland and simple as these."

Rouge nodded, but she still seemed curious. "Still, I wonder what _is_ behind those doors," she wondered out loud.

"Best not look," Shadow advised cautiously. "If this was indeed a military or research base once, we don't know what kinds of failed experiments were left behind here. We might be unleashing a rejected war specimen or something on the world."

Rouge laughed suddenly. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that. It might try and exact revenge on this world by trying to blow up it with giant laser." She chuckled appreciatively. Shadow frowned at her quip, knowing full-well what she had meant when she had said it, and that it had been intentional. But he would let it slide. This time.

They continued in silence after that, turning corners and passing under archways, trudging along for nearly ten minutes. As they explored the passages, they both wondered where they were headed, and whether they were lost. As luck would have it, both of these questions were suddenly answered.

Rouge came to sudden stop, glancing around at the area before her in confusion. Shadow appeared by her side, doing the same, and then smirked nastily.

They were right back at the junction they had started at that.

"Well done, Rouge," Shadow sneered unkindly. "You just made us go full circle. That's some sense of direction you have there."

Rouge glared at him. "Well, if you think you can do better, why don't _you _pick a path?" she retorted angrily.

His smirk widening, Shadow looked at each of the paths in front of them, before pointing at one. He then led the way to it, a pouting Rouge following behind him.

For another ten minutes, their stroll was once again completely uneventful. Neither of the two was speaking. Instead they continued their rather bored and disinterested examination of the area. As the tenth minute struck, Shadow suddenly felt his foot land, not on the metallic floor, but on thin air. Realizing a second too late where he was standing, Shadow reeled forward unsteadily above the darkened gap beneath him. Fortunately, Rouge grabbed him by the arm just in the nick of time and pulled him away from the edge of the broken floor.

"Careful," Rouge warned (albeit a little too late) as she let go off Shadow.

Without so much as a "thank you", Shadow stepped back to the edge and raised his glowing hand higher to illuminate the area more clearly. The light from his hand fell upon a dark water surface, what had been awaiting Shadow over the edge. Snapped electric wires dangled inches above the water's calm surface, their sparks dancing dangerously close to the conductive liquid. Shadow raised his eyes and looked ahead, trying to spot the place where the broken path resumed (if it did at all), but his light did not spread that far.

Rouge hovered forward and peered over the edge with Shadow, seeing the cause of his frown. Without waiting for Shadow's command or consent, Rouge spread her wings wider and lifted higher into the air, grabbing her partner under the arms and pulling him into the air. She flapped her wings and they soared over the dangerous water, using Shadow's glowing hand to light the way ahead. Rouge flew around two corners until the light finally landed on a raised level: the continuation of the damaged hallway. Gently resting her comrade onto the floor, Rouge landed beside Shadow and glanced around. She then frowned in annoyance.

Ahead of them was a blank, bare metal wall; a dead-end.

"Well done, Shadow," Rouge mocked in the same tone Shadow had used previously. "You lead us to a dead-end. And you think my sense of direction is horrible."

She turned to face her partner, only to realize that Shadow had stepped closer to the metal wall and was running a hand over it.

"This is no dead-end," Shadow proclaimed suddenly. Rouge blinked and scrutinized the wall. It certainly _looked _like a dead-end to her. But apparently, it did not to Shadow.

"Stand back, Rouge," Shadow ordered, and Rouge obediently took a few steps back. Shadow dispersed the light in his hand, monetarily plunging them into darkness. Rouge blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden gloom, and once they had done so, she could vaguely make out the red streaks in front of her that was the camouflaged Shadow. She suddenly heard a loud "bang" as Shadow punched his fist into the metal wall, followed by the other one. He gripped the edges of the holes he'd just made tightly with his fingers and pulled at the wall. To Rouge's surprise, the entire wall fractured into pieces and fell apart.

Reigniting the glow on his hand, Shadow stepped over the rumble of the collapsed wall and into the room beyond. Stunned, Rouge went after him, and looked up at the base's control room.

They had made it.

"Well, looks like _my_ sense of direction was the more accurate one after all," Shadow gloated proudly, glancing around the large, darkened room with its domed ceiling.

Rouge snorted slightly at Shadow's remark, but then grinned suddenly as her azure eyes began twinkling mischievously.

"Hey, Shadow, guess what?" she asked, nudging him in the side in a very Sonic-like manner.

"What?"

"_We found the computer room!_"

Rouge burst into hysterical laughter, clutching her sides and looking like she had just said the funniest thing in the world. Shadow, however, did not seem to share her amusement, merely frowning at her and walking away. Spotting this, Rouge hurried after Shadow, her eyes still wet from tears of laughter.

"Aw come on, Shadow, I was just kidding!" she informed him apologetically, but her grin seemed to ruin it. "But you have to admit, it _was _pretty hilarious how he kept asking you to find the computer room."

Shadow growled in anger. "It wasn't hilarious, it was infuriating," he barked. "I swear, if I hadn't had other things on my mind, I would have shoved Vector out of the nearest airlock then and there."

Rouge laughed once more, but her laughter came to a stop when Shadow ceased his walk. The two Mobians looked up at the giant computer screen before them, one of the many lining the walls on this side of the room. Shadow looked down at the dusty, decrepit keys on the console. He spotted the button labeled "Start" and pressed it with a finger.

Immediately, the monitors before them activated, and Shadow and Rouge looked up with faint surprise at the familiar icon displayed on each of the screens.

"Well, at least now we know who this base belonged to," Rouge stated as she smirked up at the insignia of Doctor Eggman.

Shadow glanced at the row of computers. "These computers are still functioning," he said slowly and thoughtfully. "Perhaps we can use them to send out a distress signal…"

Rouge nodded in comprehension, moving to one of the consoles. "Leave it to me," she assured, slipping into one of the seats (which were, incidentally, more than large enough for someone of Eggman's girth). Cracking her fingers in preparation, the ivory bat began typing enthusiastically.

Deciding to leave her to own devices, Shadow turned around and began walking around the room to examine it. He first spotted a metal gate nearby, and walking over to it, he realized that there was an elevator behind it. Pulling the gate open, Shadow stuck his head into the elevator compartment and peered up through its grated ceiling. All he saw above was an elevator shaft immersed in darkness, but he was certain that it led all to the way to the surface of the island. He inspected the elevator itself, discovering immediately that it was still functioning.

_At least we won't have to go all the back way to get out of here_, Shadow thought in relief. Closing the gate, Shadow then returned to his stroll, spotting a line of tables and chest of drawers nearby. He headed over to them, pulling open the drawers and searching through them. As he expected, he found absolutely nothing. This base had been abandoned by Eggman for a long time, judging by the looks of things. It wouldn't fit with the Doctor's mindset if he left something incriminating behind for someone to find.

Still, Shadow continued his searching of the room, and when he had finally given up, nearly an hour had passed since he and Rouge had entered the facility. Shadow walked back to Rouge, who was still busy tying on the computer.

"Any luck?" Shadow asked, though he was not expecting good news based on Rouge's expression.

"Nothing," Rouge replied in defeat, lifting her hands off the keys and leaning back in her seat. "I've tried everything, but I can't send a transmission. The long-range communication arrays are probably rusted and no longer functioning by now."

Shadow frowned and crossed his arms across his chest. He had been worried about that. "Can you at least find out where we are?" he asked hopefully.

Rouge's eyes brightened with determination once more. "Give me a second," she stated, pressing a few buttons before turning her attention to the monitor. Shadow followed her gaze, and saw that a two-dimensional map of the world had appeared on-screen. In one corner was a blinking red dot.

"There!" Rouge exclaimed, pointing at the dot. "That's where we are." She returned to her typing. "And the closest piece of land is…."

The computer beeped as a numerical popped up. Rouge's eyes widened and she gasped softly, while Shadow lowered his arms and stared at the monitor to express his own shock.

"… three-thousand-seven-hundred-and-ninety-two miles to the east," Rouge finished quietly, looking over at Shadow in disbelief. "Nearly four-thousand miles away."

Shadow suddenly narrowed his eyes in determination, whipping around and marching towards the elevator he had discovered.

"Sh-Shadow, wait!" Rouge cried, hovering off her seat and hurrying after him. Shadow did not turn around, maintaining his brisk pace. He pulled open the elevator gate and stepped into the compartment. Rouge flew in behind him wonderingly, coming to a hovering stop beside her partner.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Shadow did not respond, silently closing the gate behind Rouge and pushing a button on the panel. With a lurch and creak, the elevator began to rise up the shaft and to the surface. Rouge looked questioningly at the thoughtful hedgehog, but he did not meet her gaze, nor did he elaborate in any way what he was thinking.

In a matter of seconds, the two had reached a pair of metal doors, which Shadow slid open on their sliding base. He then marched out swiftly into the blinding sunlight. Rouge exited after him, glancing back at the large boulder they had just exited out of. Noting to herself that Eggman had done a wonderful job in disguising his entrances from the public eye, Rouge turned around and flew after Shadow. She discovered that the black hedgehog had exited the forest and was now standing on the sandy shores, looking around thoughtfully.

"The Sun is setting in that direction," Shadow thought out loud, looking in the direction where the Sun was "falling" in the sky. He then turned to face the opposite direction. "Which means it's in _that_ direction," he concluded, referring to the "closest piece of land" Rouge had mentioned.

"Yeah, but what good does that do us now?" Rouge asked hopelessly. "We can't make that journey."

"I could skate across the water," Shadow remarked stubbornly. Rouge looked at him skeptically.

"Even _you _couldn't make that trip without resting, Shadow," she countered.

"Fine then. We'll build a boat, and I'll act as a motor and swim us there."

Rouge shook her head in exasperation. "You keep forgetting something very important Shadow. _You _may not need to eat or drink, but I do. No matter how much food we stock up on, there's no way we'll be able to make it all last for the entire trip." She glanced at the deadly waters. "I would probably run out of food and starve to death before we even got halfway."

Shadow snarled in aggravation. "Then what do you propose we do?" he barked angrily. "Stay here and hope a ship passes by which we can hitch a ride on? I doubt that'll ever happen, Rouge. Or would you rather we spend the rest of our lives trapped on this island?"

"It's a possibility," Rouge murmured quietly, not looking at Shadow. The black hedgehog stared at her downcast form in disbelief. He didn't know whether Rouge was joking or not (though the lack of humor in her face or voice gave an idea), but either way he found it preposterous that she had even dared say something like that.

"It's a possibility?" Shadow repeated in fury. He advanced at the bat. "You seem to be forgetting something important as well, Rouge. I don't age, remember? If we stay on this island, you may have the satisfaction of knowing that you'll eventually die of old age and be free of this place, but I won't. I will continue to live on this island, until either the sea around me dries up, or I go insane from loneliness and take my own life. What do you say to that?"

His voice had reached a low, threatening pitch now as he positively glared at Rouge, who still refused to look his way. Shadow knew she was unsure as to what the reply was to his chilling comment, but he wanted an answer from her.

"Well? What do you say to that?" Shadow pressed in an intimidating voice.

"I-I don't know, Shadow," Rouge whispered miserably. "I don't know what to say."

Shadow frowned and turned away from Rouge in anger, folding his arms across his arms and glaring at nothing in particular.

Then -

"Ho-hoh! Having a lover's spat, are we?" a booming voice teased from behind them. Shadow and Rouge froze, turning in disbelief to gaze at the owner of the voice.

It was Doctor Eggman.


	23. Chapter 22: Rescue

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22: Rescue<strong>

"Eggman? What are you doing here?" Rouge asked incredulously.

The pyknic man's signature moustaches curled upwards as he smiled. "I'm here to rescue you, of course," he answered simply, spreading his arms as if it were obvious. Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other, and then back at Eggman.

"How did you get here?" Rouge further asked in amazement.

"How did you find us?" Shadow demanded, his suspicious nature causing him to assume an aggressive tone.

Eggman gave a hearty laugh. He pulled a handheld console out of his pocket and waved it at them. "How did I get here?" he repeated. "I flew here."

He pressed a button on the console with his thumb, and instantly there was a loud roar of engines from the other side of the island. Shadow and Rouge looked up in awe as the large form of a crimson, rocket-powered blimp rose up from behind the trees and into the air. The blimp soared over the treetops and came to a hovering stop above the two Mobians and the human. The door of the cockpit slid open automatically and a rope ladder fell down to them. Eggman grasped the ladder in his hand and looked over meaningfully at Shadow and Rouge.

"I flew here on this, the Egg Blimp," Eggman further explained. "As for how I found you, well, why don't we discuss that on the way back to civilization? Unless -," here he grinned cheekily at Shadow and Rouge, "- you two would prefer to live the remainder of your days on this island?"

Without speaking, both Shadow and Rouge quickly grabbed onto the rope ladder tightly.

"Go. Quickly," Rouge said in a slightly hysterical tone. Eggman smiled covertly and began to press another button on his device, but stopped suddenly. He glanced around perplexedly.

"Hold on, where's Sonic?" he asked in wonder. "Didn't Metal Sonic teleport all three of you here?"

Rouge glanced at Shadow.

"Why don't we discuss that on the way back to civilization, Doctor?" Shadow replied, repeating the Doctor's words tersely. "As Rouge said, let's go."

Blinking, Eggman shrugged and pressed the button. The rope ladder began to retract back up to the blimp, with its three passengers rising up with it. Eggman stepped onto the metal floor within the blimp as Shadow and Rouge followed. Once they were inside, the door behind them slid shut. Eggman sat down on the pilot's seat, swiveling it around to consult the control console. Taking the flight controls in hand, he turned the nose of the airship eastward, and with a flick of the switch, activated the rocket thrusters on the ship. The Egg Blimp began accelerating and was soon flying through the air at a surprisingly high speed. As ship moved, Shadow and Rouge looked out through the window at the retreating island, and felt a wave of relief spread through them.

"We're off the island," Rouge sighed in relief, gently lowering herself from her hovering position and onto a sitting position on the metal floor. She began gently caress her wounded leg as she peered out the window at the blue sky. "We're saved."

Shadow did not answer her, for he had moved to the opposite end of the ship and was looking out through another window at the waters below. The characteristic frown was etched onto his face, one of a greater intensity perhaps. Yes, as Rouge had pointed out, they were saved; they were headed home. Perhaps now, they might be able to do something about the two "Sonics". Perhaps they would be able to find a solution to solve both these problems.

And speaking of solving problems…

Rouge gave a soft sigh of discomfort as she caressed her leg, a sound that was noted by Eggman. The man turned his eyes momentarily away from the viewport and at Rouge. He then consulted the numerous buttons on the console, before selecting one and pressing a finger down on it. With a soft hiss, a small square section in the wall behind Rouge slid open to reveal a compartment within. At the sound of the panel sliding, Rouge looked up at it, while Eggman turned to the inattentive Shadow.

"Shadow, give what's in that compartment to Rouge," Eggman ordered, gesturing to said compartment as the black hedgehog looked his way. Nodding uninterestedly, Shadow moved to the compartment as Eggman returned to his controls. The hedgehog reached inside the square depression in the wall, and pulled out a little metal box with a black cap on top and an off-white base. Shadow looked at the box in wonder, glancing up at the back of Eggman's bald head, and then at Rouge. The expression on the bat's face mirrored that on Shadow's: one of confusion, and faint suspicion. Wondering what was in the box, and not planning on handing one of his allies what could potentially be a bomb, Shadow did the only thing he could think of doing: He twisted the cap of the box open.

Inside was a pale green, cream-like paste of some kind. Resisting the urge to stick his finger inside it and further examine the cream, Shadow walked over to Rouge and handed her the box. The ivory bat took the box in her hands and blinked down in surprise at the green cream. She looked up at Eggman, who was still not looking at them, and finally spoke up.

"What's this supposed to be?" she inquired.

"Dab it on your wound," Eggman replied without turning.

Rouge glanced at Shadow, as if asking whether he thought it was alright to do as the Doctor said. All she got was a half-hearted shrug from the Ultimate Lifeform. Giving in to her own curiosity, Rouge scooped up a small amount of the cream on her fingers, before reaching down and undoing the "bandages" covering her wound. Once the covering was off, she began to rub the cream over her wound, wincing from the faint stinging sensation it delivered.

To her and Shadow's astonishment, Rouge's wound began to heal itself, the gash closing quickly and seeming to vanish completely, as if it had never been there. The two Mobians looked up to spot Eggman grinning cockily at them over his shoulder.

"Like it?" he asked, smirking. "That's my own compound, one I made myself. As long as the wound isn't too deep, that cream will heal it completely. I came up with the idea for a healing substance, seeing as how I often end up wounded when dealing with you lot."

Rouge gingerly rose to her feet, and to her pleasure she found that her leg was no longer paining near her ankle. It seemed that the cream had indeed healed her of her injury, and rapidly too. Her leg looked perfectly fine now; only the tear in her boots where the Chaos Spear had pierced through was the only indication that she had been damaged. Rouge looked at Shadow and nodded at the box of cream in her hand, nodding at it in admiration.

"Pretty cool, isn't it, Shadow?" she remarked, replacing the cap on top of the box. Instead of answering the bat, Shadow turned an amused smirk to the Doctor.

"Any reason why you didn't just tell us what the cream did?" he asked.

Eggman chuckled softly. "If I did, would you have believed me?" he retorted with an equally amused smirk.

"Well, whatever the case, this is one useful invention of yours, Eggman," Rouge stated happily, tossing the box into the air and catching it when it came down. She made to pocket it, but stopped when Eggman cleared his throat and held his hand out at her.

"I'll be taking that back, if you don't mind," he demanded, though not crossly. "I wouldn't want Tails or one of your GUN scientists to replicate the formula."

Pouting, Rouge stepped forward and dropped the metal box into the Doctor's upturned palm. The man slipped the box into a compartment beneath the control console.

"There we go," he said complacently. "The last thing I need is for Sonic and his friends to come up with a way to heal yourselves rapidly. And speaking of Sonic..." Eggman looked over his shoulder once more at the two Mobians, his expression that of puzzled curiosity. "Where is he? Wasn't he on the island with you?"

Rouge sighed miserably. "Yes and no. We were all sent there initially by Metal Sonic, but a few hours later Metal Sonic returned and warped Sonic to some other place." She shrugged unknowingly. "We have no idea where he is now."

Shadow looked up at the Doctor with distrust. "How did you find us?" he repeated stiffly from earlier.

Eggman chuckled appreciatively, setting the airship onto autopilot and swiveling around in his chair to face the two Mobians. He flashed an arrogant smile at Shadow. "Did you think I wouldn't keep tabs on my bases, even if I had abandoned them? No, I keep observing all of my bases, especially the deserted ones, in case someone comes along trying to find something I may have accidently left behind."

"And did you leave something behind?" Rouge asked with a smirk. Eggman smiled mysteriously at her, but said nothing further.

"So when we infiltrated your base, you were notified of it and came to investigate?" Shadow questioned slowly. Eggman nodded.

"Yes. I wasn't aware that it was you two, but I knew _someone _had infiltrated it. I came to find out who had dared to do so, but fortunately, it was only you two. You were lucky that Metal Sonic sent you to that island and not another. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to find you."

Shadow frowned, his eyes still holding a suspicious look. "Yes, "lucky"…," he repeated slowly and thoughtfully. He looked up at the Doctor. "Did Metal Sonic know that that island was once one of your bases?"

Eggman nodded his bald head. "Oh yes," he confirmed certainly. "I'm afraid that, back when Metal Sonic still used to work for me, I used to update his memory banks with the locations of all my current and previous bases. It was in case he needed to retreat to one of them for any reason. So yes, I'm sure he was aware about that island's true nature."

"And did he know that you kept watch on all your bases, both current and deserted?"

"Yes."

"Wait, if he knew it was one of your old bases, then why did he send us there?" Rouge asked suddenly, glancing between Shadow and Eggman in confusion. "He must have known you would find us, Eggman. Why bother sending us to an unknown island if he knew we'd be found?" Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh, of course: because he _wanted _us to be found!"

Shadow nodded to her. "For whatever he has planned for us," he completed. "It would also explain why he separated Sonic from us. If he hadn't, then Sonic would be on his way back home with us right now. And I don't believe Metal Sonic wants Sonic to return just yet."

Rouge looked at Shadow with a meaningful gaze. "You mean, he hasn't prepared the "pain and suffering" for Sonic that he had planned," she rephrased quietly. Shadow nodded his head grimly.

"What are you two talking about?" asked a puzzled Eggman, looking at both of them in ignorance.

"Metal Sonic's got plans for Sonic," Rouge answered impatiently. She quickly explained the entire situation, what Metal Sonic had said to the three Mobians back at the Eggman's tower, and what he had told them on the island. When she was finished, Eggman was looking slightly dumbfounded and revolted, as if he himself would never do something as twisted and sadistic as what Metal Sonic was planning.

"Do you have any news on the status of Sonic's friends, Doctor?" Shadow asked tensely, eyeing the fat man.

Eggman scratched the back of his bald scalp in embarrassment. "Er, well, no," he replied sadly. "I don't really pay much attention to what happens to Sonic's friends; only Sonic himself."

Shadow snorted in contempt. "Yes, that's a quirk both you _and_ your ex-subordinate share in common," he derided.

A tense silence grabbed hold of the three at this moment. None of them had any idea what to say next, mostly because they were all lost in thought. The pause was broken by Rouge suddenly smacking her lips together gently, as if her mouth was dry.

"Say, Eggman, do you have any water to drink on this ship?" she posed suddenly to the Doctor. "All I've had to drink for the last twenty-four hours is coconut milk…"

Eggman smirked covertly under his moustaches. He pointed at the door behind the Mobians. "Down the corridor and to the left; you'll find a water dispenser there."

"Thanks. And what about a bathroom?"

"To the right of that, my dear."

With a nod of relief, Rouge hurried out of the cockpit and away to relive herself of her discomforts. Eggman looked pointedly at Shadow.

"Did your own business back on the island, Shadow?"

"I don't need to -," began Shadow crossly, but Eggman cut him off with a laugh and a wave of his hand.

"I was joking, Shadow," he informed him, leaning back in his chair with another laugh. "Though I can tell that you're experiencing discomfort due to something; but it's certainly not a full bladder, is it?" He locked his hands together with his arms propped up on the armrests, peering at Shadow from behind his _pince-nez _glasses in an almost-fatherly manner. "Why not fill me in on what's bothering you?"

Shadow frowned and did not answer. He looked away out of the window, watching the blue-green ocean beneath zip past. The Doctor was right; there was something bothering him, and that something was the location and condition of a certain blue hedgehog. Shadow wondered where Sonic was at the moment, and whether he was alive and well. But he wasn't going to tell Eggman that, lest he start claiming that Shadow was worried about Sonic because he cared about him. It wasn't "contraction" (or whatever the hell that word had been that Rouge had used) he felt, it was... Err, well…

"Have you any idea what Metal Sonic has been up to lately?" Shadow suddenly asked, interrupting his own line of thought as he looked back at the Doctor.

Eggman stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "Well, I don't know particularly what he's been up to," he admitted slowly. "Since he absorbed the power of the Chaos Emeralds, he hasn't done anything dangerous or "global". At least, when I had left to come examine the intrusion at my base, he hadn't." He looked at Shadow with a contemplative air. "However, if what you told me is true, then Metal Sonic has mostly likely been doing exactly what he said he would: finding and destroying everything that Sonic holds dear."

Shadow narrowed his eyes and looked back out the window, only now he could see the comforting sight of the coastline of land in the distance. At the speed they were going, they would be reaching land in around ten minutes. This was surprising really, considering the distance they had to cover: in less than fifteen minutes, they had flown over approximately four-thousand miles. Clearly, this Egg Blimp of Eggman's was fitted with a powerful propulsion system.

But this was no time to be admiring the Doctor's inventions.

"If that's the case, then once we reach land, our first priority will be to get in touch with each of Sonic's friends," Shadow decided calmly. "And after that, we'll search for Sonic."

"Assuming, of course, that Metal Sonic hasn't already ended Sonic's life," Eggman reminded Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform's mouth tightened into a tensed line.

"Yes, that."

Twenty minutes later, the Egg Blimp was landing on the top floor of the roofless tower that was Eggman's base. It was not a new base. No, it was the very base where Metal Sonic had unlocked his Super Form, where this whole ordeal had started. The tower was still as undamaged as it had been during the three Mobians' invasion; however, the tower lacked a roof, the top floor completely exposed from the top. You didn't need an IQ of 300 to figure out that this was Metal Sonic's handiwork. No doubt the newly-powered robot had blasted the roof off before leaving the base.

As the blimp landed, Rouge looked out the window with a raised eyebrow. "I never would have thought we'd be coming back here," she voiced in surprise. "I figured you'd have retreated to another base by now, Doctor."

Eggman smiled at her. "And that's exactly why I'm still here," he answered proudly as he opened the door and stepped out. "Metal Sonic will be thinking along the same lines as you, my dear. He won't expect me to stay in the same base after being discovered; particularly when that base has been destroyed."

"Are you sure about that, Doctor?" Shadow asked skeptically as he stepped out of the blimp after Eggman. "Metal Sonic seems to know you best among anyone alive. How can you be sure he won't expect you to think just that and stay here?"

Eggman frowned at Shadow. "I would normally never stay in a damaged base," he spat out confidently and angrily. "I've never done so before, nor have I done so recently enough for Metal Sonic to expect it of me. Besides…" He began strolling over to a door. "… this won't be our permanent base of operations. We're only here to pick up a few important things, and then it's off to -."

He suddenly froze, turning his head to glance around himself.

"Do you two hear that?" he asked suddenly.

Shadow came to a stop beside the six-foot-tall man and listened intently. At first he heard nothing unusual, but then his ears perked up at the sound as well. It was a faint, buzzing noise; not one of bees, more like that of…

A plane's rotors.

"Over there!" Rouge exclaimed, pointing to their left at the sky. Shadow and Eggman followed her finger and spotted a slowly growing dot in the sky. As they watched, they recognized the shape of a plane.

"The Tornado!" Eggman exclaimed, advancing a step closer and squinting to get a better look at the approaching aircraft.

Shadow nodded his head to show that he, too, had recognized the plane. _It must be Tails_, he thought, noting that this meant that the young fox had yet to suffer Metal Sonic's wrath. This was good news indeed. Perhaps Tails could bring them all up-to-speed on Metal Sonic's actions. He might also be able to aid them in locating and saving Sonic. Tails was the blue hedgehog's best friend after all. There was bound to be some ridiculous "best-friends-forever" mumbo-jumbo that they could exploit there.

The Tornado flew closer and closer until it finally began to drop from the sky to land on the floor Shadow, Rouge, and Eggman stood on. The plane swooped towards them, and with loud screech, landed on the metal floor and came to a stop before them. The rotor's slowed and stopped as the aircraft's engine was switched off. The pilot turned a bewildered face to Shadow, Rouge, and Eggman, an expression which was mirrored on all three of their faces.

It was not Tails.

"Shadow! Rouge!" the blue hedgehog cried in delighted relief, leaping out of the plane and hurrying over to the mentioned Mobians. "You guys made it back! You're okay! But how?"


	24. Chapter 23: Tales of Salvation

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23: Tales of Salvation<strong>

"Shadow! Rouge!" the blue hedgehog cried in delighted relief, leaping out of the plane and hurrying over to the mentioned Mobians. "You guys made it back! You're okay! But how?"

"Sonic?" a dumfounded Rouge managed to finally say, being the first of the three to regain her voice. Well actually that wasn't true. She was the second person: Egggman, who had not been involved in the whole separated-and-left-stranded-on-an-island issue, was not as stupefied as Shadow and Rouge to see Sonic here. Yes, he was surprised by this sudden occurrence, but not enough to look like he was seeing a ghost.

Egggman stroked his moustache appreciatively. "So you made it back, eh Sonic? Shadow and Rouge were both worried sick about you, you know."

Sonic grinned at his two comrades, looking as relieved as they both clearly felt.

"Likewise, guys," Sonic informed. "I thought Metal Sonic had done something to you two after he separated us. I was worried he might kill you off because you were of no use to him. But I'm glad to see that I was wrong! You're both alright!" He glanced at the two of them eagerly. "So how'd you guys manage to escape? What happened?"

Rouge jerked a thumb at Eggman. "Eggman saved us," she answered simply. Sonic cocked an eyebrow and turned to Eggman in surprise.

"Whoa! Really? Didn't think you'd care so much, Eggman. How did you find them anyway?"

The Doctor chuckled at the blue hedgehog. "That island was once one of my bases, Sonic; one that I abandoned quite a long time ago." He gestured to Shadow and Rouge. "These two happened to stumble upon the facility underneath the island and activated the computers. When I came to investigate, I found them and brought them back."

"One of your bases?" Sonic repeated in astonishment. "But then, why would Metal Sonic have sent us -?"

Shadow cut across the blue hedgehog's question, seeing as they had already had this discussion (despite the fact that Sonic hadn't been there to hear it). "Never mind that, Sonic," he snapped. "Tell us, where did Metal Sonic send you? How did _you_ get back?"

Sonic blinked, finally realizing that his presence here was just as surprising to Shadow and Rouge as theirs was to him. "Oh, that. Sure I'll tell you guys what happened." He grinned at them smugly, swiping his finger under his nose characteristically. "You guys might want to sit down for this one, though."

"Because it's long?" Rouge asked with a roll of her eyes.

Sonic shook his head, still grinning. "Nah, because it's a heck of a story. I don't want you guys to hurt yourselves when you faint from shock!"

An exasperated Shadow smacked his forehead at the comment. Even Eggman shook his head disappointedly. Rouge, meanwhile, turned her face to the black hedgehog and raised an eyebrow at him.

"_This _is who we were worried about?" she asked in disbelief.

"I told you there was something wrong with us," Shadow remarked.

Sonic smirked and began his tale.

"Well, after Shadow and I had our little tussle - by the way, guys, I'm sorry for being such a jerk. I realize I was way out line back there. So again, sorry. Anyway, after our little fight, I went to the shore to clear my head. I thought for a while, and realized I was being stupid, that you guys were right: I shouldn't be losing hope and giving up at that point. And right when I have this epiphany, who should show up in a flash of light, but our favorite psychopathic robot?

Me and Metal Sonic chat a little, and I _may _have accidently pissed him of by saying he looked cooler with red eyes. All I know is, he knocked me into a tree and then teleported me off the island. I wake up, and next thing I know, I'm lying on a small rock surrounded by the ocean!"

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "That must have been terrifying for you," he remarked.

Sonic nodded his head in fervent agreement. "Oh you have no idea!" he exclaimed, shuddering violently.

"Dammit. Why didn't I ever think of that?" Eggman muttered darkly as Sonic continued speaking.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Two Hours Ago…<strong>_

A glum Sonic stared blankly ahead of him at the ocean, not really seeing the water he despised and feared so much. His thoughts were far away, wondering what was happening to all his friends right now, what his robotic doppelganger was doing at the moment. The thoughts were hardly cheerful, but Sonic was no longer depressed by them. He had gotten over his momentary loss of confidence; Shadow's aggression and Rouge's (uncharacteristic) affection had had their effect. Sonic was back to his usual self, but even he couldn't look on the bright side in a situation like this. How the hell was he going to get off this stupid rock and back to his friends?

The current situation was made worse by the fact that Sonic was starving; he hadn't had anything to eat for nearly a day. He was also parched, but he still had enough of his sanity left to remember not to drink any of the seawater around him. The last thing he needed was to go "sea-crazy" right now; though, that might end up happening anyway if he didn't find a way off this rock. His stomach growled loudly, pleading for sustenance, but Sonic ignored the hunger pangs like he had been doing for the last quarter of an hour. Thinking about how hungry he was wasn't going to solve this problem. He had to think of something, and quickly, before he fainted - or died - from hunger and thirst. Or went crazy. Though he was betting on the former to occur before the latter.

Sighing, Sonic cupped his chin in his hands and gazed off absent-mindedly ahead of him, still not paying any attention to what he was actually looking at. It therefore took him quite some time to comprehend what was happening before him. The glazed green eyes suddenly came into focus. He stared in confusion at the small, glowing red orb that was moving towards him, floating and bobbing gently in the air over the shifting waves. As the orb came closer, Sonic rubbed his eyes to make sure he was indeed seeing it and not merely hallucinating from starvation. He ascertained that he was not imagining it, so that left him wondering exactly _what _he was seeing.

As the orb soared closer, Sonic had a sudden feeling that he had seen this object somewhere before. But where had he -?

The sphere's glow brightened and practically blinded Sonic with its glare. He yelped and nearly fell off his perch and into the dangerous waters below, but managed to keep his balance. He blinked as the glow lessened, his expression of confusion intensified. Before him was a figure, a figure he had not seen in a long time.

It was a translucent projection of a Mobian, floating effortlessly in the air and looking like some kind of ghost. Sonic blinked and rose to his feet as he stared at the figure. It was a female, orange echidna, looking around fourteen years of age, dressed in a white tank top and a short green skirt with pink-and-white diamond-shaped patterns. Her feet were clad in sandals, and around her head she wore a golden metal headband with a blue stone in the center. Kind, blue eyes looked down at Sonic as she smiled down at him in a motherly way.

Sonic's mouth fell open slightly in shock. "You're - you're that Echidna Princess, aren't you?" he asked in disbelief, unable to believe his eyes. "Tikal… What are you doing here?"

The echidna named Tikal extended her hand to Sonic. "I've come to take you back, Sonic," she answered simply, the warmth in her smile increasing.

"Take me back?" Sonic repeated, too stunned to understand.

"To take you back to save your friends."

Sonic stared for another second, and then grinned at Tikal. He nodded his head and grasped her outstretched hand tightly.

"Lead the way," he said in determination.

He felt a sudden tug on his body, followed by a sudden wave of warmth tickling his skin and an spinning sensation in his head. The next second, he found himself lying face-first on soft, dewy grass. Slightly dazed from the sudden occurrence, Sonic rose to his feet with a groan and glanced around at what he realized to be a forest. Wondering where he was, he surveyed the area more closely. And the more he looked, the more he recognized the scenery around him: the more quickly he realized exactly where he was.

Angel Island.

Sonic dropped to his knees in relief, looking mentally exhausted. "I'm back," he whispered in awe, still not able to believe it. A goofy grin slid onto his face, as he slowly repeated to himself that very sentence.

The grin abruptly vanished and he looked around, trying to see if he could spot Tikal, but he saw nothing but foliage. That was odd. Where had she gone? Had she only come to whisk him off that rock and bring him here? Without even giving him an explanation, or some words of advice?

"She could have at least let me say "thank you"," Sonic joked. Getting back to his feet, he made his way to where he knew the Master Emerald's altar was located. The momentary wave of relief had been replaced by one of purpose and determination. Since he was on Angel Island, he had to find Knuckles and make sure he was alright. How long had he been gone? Two days? Something like that. Plenty of time for Metal Sonic to…

Sonic shook his head and increased his pace, weaving around the trees to his destination. Now was not the time to be brooding; now was the time for action. He had done enough thinking. Now he had to protect his friends. Or save them. Whichever was required of him.

The blue hedgehog suddenly slid to a stop, having spotted something unexpected through a gap in the trees. Raising an eyebrow in wonder, Sonic diverted his feet from the path to the Altar of Emeralds and towards the edge of Angel Island. As he stepped out of the woods, he froze. His shock was justified by this simple fact: the floating island was no longer floating. At least, it was not floating in the _air_. It was now floating on the water. Which could only mean…

Sonic swung his head over his shoulder in the direction of the Altar of Emeralds. "The Master Emerald!" he murmured with a sense of foreboding, sprinting in its direction. In a moment, he had ascended the stone steps and was standing before a heart-dropping spectacle.

The Master Emerald had vanished from its altar, and without its energy, Angel Island had descended to the ocean. But that was not all. As Sonic examined the area, he saw a multitude of small craters in the ground, which he recognized to be Knuckles' handiwork. The seven pillars encircling the altar were either crumpled and broken, or heavily damaged. The hedgehog stepped forward, head constantly turning as he took in the aftermath of what had clearly been a battle. Someone had definitely attacked Knuckles and the Master Emerald. And Sonic had a pretty good hunch as to who it was.

"Someone definitely got Knuckles angry. And I'm betting it ain't tax-collectors," Sonic remarked in a half-hearted attempt at humor. He kicked aside a fragment of stone as he continued examining the wreckage lying upon the altar.

"Knuckles… What happened here?" Sonic wondered out loud, posing a question to the echidna even though he wasn't present. Then Sonic spotted something else lying at the bottom of the altar; something he recognized all too well. Heart pounding in fear, he scurried down the stairs and over to the object: an upturned, blue and yellow plane. Placing a hand on the machine, Sonic looked up dreadfully at the Tornado. If it was here, and Knuckles and the Master Emerald weren't, then…

"Tails," Sonic whispered, clenching a fist in anger. He resisted the urge to slam a fist into the Tornado. Instead, he pushed the machine back onto its wheels (though with a good deal of grunting and exertion). Once the plane was right-side-up once more, Sonic considered the situation for a second. Metal Sonic had no doubt come to Angel Island, and had done something to Knuckles and Tails; not only that, he had taken the Master Emerald away from the island. Why? Why would he do that?

_No, wait, that doesn't matter right now_, Sonic reminded himself. _I need to focus on saving my friends. But Tails and Knuckles… I've got no idea where they are… _He gazed downheartedly at the Tornado, and then up at the Master Emerald's empty altar. His face suddenly took on a look of determination. _I can't do anything for Tails and Knuckles until I know what happened here. But before that, I have to go save Shadow and Rouge. At the very least, I can do that._

He hopped into the Tornado and did a quick system's check to see if the plane could still fly. As luck would have it, it could; the obvious fall it had endured had not damaged it that much. With his renewed resolve pumping through his veins, the blue hedgehog turned on the ignition. The engine slowly sprang to life; the rotors began spinning immediately afterwards. Taking the flight controls in hand, Sonic steered the plane towards a long gap in the trees, a gap that would serve as a makeshift runway. He steered the plane towards it. The machine picked up speed quickly, and soon, he was off, having launched the Tornado into the sky.

As he soared over the salty waters towards land, Sonic thought over his next course of action. _I'll try and find Eggman_, he decided firmly. _He's bound to be wary about Metal Sonic as well. He'll help me find Shadow and Rouge. _With this comforting thought in mind, Sonic steered the Tornado in the direction of Eggman's tower base, figuring it was the best place to go at the moment. He might be able to find some clue as to where Eggman was hiding at the moment.

_Shadow, Rouge… Hold on_.

* * *

><p>"And that's how I ended up here," Sonic concluded to his audience.<p>

Eggman scratched his head thoughtfully. "Tikal, you say? She was sealed inside the Master Emerald, I believe. Metal Sonic must have shattered the Master Emerald and therefore unwillingly released her from its contents."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, that's what I figured as well. But then I wondered: what about Chaos? Wouldn't he have been released as well?"

Eggman considered that query, but before he could answer, Rouge posed a question to him.

"Hold on a sec, who's Tikal and Chaos, anyway? And why were they sealed inside the Master Emerald?"

Eggman turned to Rouge, aware that she had not been involved during the whole Chaos incident. Well, not enough to know what had actually happened before Chaos' had achieved his Perfect Form and obliterated Station Square. While the majority of GUN agents no doubt knew about or had heard of Perfect Chaos' rampage, nearly all of them were completely unaware as to _how _it had occurred, and _why _it had.

"Tikal and Chaos are spirits which reside within the Master Emerald, Rouge. Should the Master Emerald be broken or shattered, those two will be expelled from it, and will attempt to protect the gemstone from any threat." Eggman looked at Sonic. "As you guessed, most likely Chaos was released along with Tikal. I assume that Chaos attempted to confront and defeat Metal Sonic, but in his "Zero Stage" he would stand no chance against Metal Sonic, particularly a Metal Sonic in his Super Form."

"That's true," Sonic agreed. "I beat him pretty easily with my Super Form when he became Perfect Chaos; Zero Stage would hardly be a challenge for a Super Form."

"Metal Sonic will no doubt have defeated Chaos, and I assume that, upon seeing this, Tikal fled and searched for you. It's clear that she believed that, if anyone could save the world from Metal Sonic's power, it would be you."

"But after she found Sonic and rescued him, this "Tikal" just vanished," Rouge continued. She glanced at the Doctor. "She didn't tell Sonic what had happened, or what to do. She just dropped him off on Angel Island and left. Do you have a theory for that as well, Doctor?"

Eggman shrugged ignorantly. "Maybe she went back to whichever shard of the Master Emerald she was originally in? Maybe she didn't want to be the bearer of bad news to Sonic? I don't really know. I have no idea what goes on in her mind."

Rouge thought for a moment, and then continued speaking. "Alright, if what you're saying is true, tthen there's something I don't get. If this Tikal and Chaos are freed when the Master Emerald is shattered, then why weren't they freed when Knuckles broke it?"

"You mean when you first tried to steal it from him? And failed?" Sonic added slyly. "Just like you do every time?"

"Yes," Rouge replied irritably, but otherwise ignoring the tone of Sonic's words. She instead kept her focus on Eggman, awaiting another deduction from the super-genius that he was. Or claimed to be. Not implying at anything there.

"Hmm, well, I wondered about that too. When Knuckles had broken it, I was worried that Chaos would be unleashed once more, but that was not the case." Eggman stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "I came up with the hypothesis that those two are only released when the Master Emerald is broken for evil intent. When I first broke it, I certainly had such intentions. I expect Metal Sonic did so."

"But when Knuckles broke it, he was only doing that to try and protect it. Which is why they weren't released," Sonic finished, nodding his head thoughtfully. "That sounds reasonable, I guess."

Shadow suddenly cleared his throat, having yet to say anything since the conclusion of Sonic's tale. "Not that this discussion isn't riveting or anything," he began sarcastically, "but we seem to have gotten side-tracked." He looked at Sonic. "We have to figure out what we're going to do next in order to beat Metal Sonic. If he has indeed gotten to Tails and Knuckles, then we have to be ready for another -."

Shadow stopped, stiffening just like the other three. His words had been interrupted by a series of heavy footsteps sounding behind him. As one, all four of them turned to the door Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge had originally used to reach this floor in their initial assault on this base. Shadow trained his ears to pick up the sounds more clearly, trying to identify the nature of the owner. The footsteps obviously belonged to someone ascending the long stairway from the bottom of the tower. Based on the amplitude of footsteps' sound, the owner was quite heavy. Sonic, Shadow, and Rouge shot each other tense glances before bracing themselves for their newest visitor. Behind them, Eggman took a nervous step back, clearly preferring to avoid combat. Nonetheless, all of them were wondering who this newcomer could be.

They were also dreading that it might be Metal Sonic.

The three Mobians clenched their teeth in anticipation, six pairs of fists tightening simultaneously. Slowly, a large figure appeared in the doorway and stepped into the room.

It was indeed a robot.

But it was not Metal Sonic.

It was E-123 Omega.

The crimson robot slid glowing red optics over the four organics, bringing them to a halt on Sonic.

"Primary Objective: Locate Subject: Sonic the Hedgehog - Complete," he announced in his monotone voice, taking a step towards the four. The robot's yellow head swiveled to examine Shadow and Rouge. "Sub-Mission: Locate Ally: Shadow the Hedgehog and Ally: Rouge the Bat, also completed."

"Omega?" Shadow said in surprise, relaxing his stance like the others. "Why are you here?"

Omega lifted his arm and pointed a clawed robotic finger at Sonic. "I have come to deliver a message from Cream the Rabbit to Sonic the Hedgehog," he replied, his speech slow and littered with small pauses every time he named a person. Shadow smirked inwards at this. Sometimes it took a great deal of patience to converse with Omega. If one managed to get over his command-like style of talking, one would still have to endure his rather slow and deliberative talking speed.

"A message for me?" Sonic repeated, a little surprised that the red robot had come to relay a message to him, let alone the fact that he was actually paying attention to him. "From Cream? What is it? Did something happen to her?"

"Negative," Omega replied unemotionally. "She is safe, for the moment. This unit has been assigned the task of relaying an incident that Cream the Rabbit has witnessed."

Sonic looked relieved to hear this news about regarding Cream's safety. "Alright, so, what's this message?" he asked interestedly.

"Relaying," Omega announced loudly. His eyes glowed white, and a moment later a holographic projection of Cream and her Chao "Cheese" appeared in front of them, beamed out of the red machine's optics.

"Commencing playback."

"Oh goodie, another story," Rouge said in mock excitement as the hologram of Cream opened her mouth and began speaking.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Bit of conjecture on my part regarding why Chaos and Tikal never showed up in <em>Sonic Adventure 2<em>, but eh...**


	25. Chapter 24: Tales of Abduction

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 24: Tales of Abduction<strong>

_**One Hour Ago…**_

She was distressed. Amy Rose was distressed.

Seated by a window in a café, the pink hedgehog was staring out into space (or more correctly, out of the window at the street), her chin cupped in one hand and an expression of worry on her young face. On the table sat a ceramic cup, the tea within having long cooled due to inattentiveness. It had been more than a day since she had heard the news: that Sonic and Tails' house had been tore down by something, or someone; that thankfully there had been no bodies found amidst the rubble; that, strangely enough, Sonic, Tails, and even Knuckles had vanished without a trace. She had cried through the night at the news, fearing that something had happened to her beloved hero. She had denied all comforts and sympathy that her friends had to offer. She was most likely overreacting, but her fear was getting the best of her. She was worried about Sonic; very worried.

"Oh Sonic, what happened to you?" she wondered quietly to herself, still absent-mindedly staring out the window, the neglected cup of tea in front of her having long gone cold. But she didn't care. All she cared about right now was about Sonic and his friends' disappearance. The very thought about having lost that which was most precious to her was enough to get the waterworks going, but she stayed strong and fought back the tears.

And then she saw it.

A blue streak shot past the front of the café and her window. It took Amy a full two seconds to understand what she had just seen, before she leaped to her feet with an ear-splitting squeal and ran out of the café, forgetting all about her drink (or that she had just wasted money on it). All that mattered was the streak.

_That was Sonic! _Amy thought in eagerly, hurrying off in the direction the blur had gone. _I just know it was! He's alright!_

She ran through the city, weaving around the multitude of Mobians and humans around her, glancing around anxiously for any sign of the blur. Growing impatient, and starting to wonder whether she had just imagined it, Amy finally shouted out:

"Sonic! Where are you?"

She seemed to have forgotten that she was in a public area, and that therefore the puzzled and startled gazes the surrounding people threw her way were completely justified. Even if she did seem to be aware of this, she paid no heed to their stares and continued running through the streets, still searching and searching…

Aha!

With a gust of wind, the same blue blur shot past her and turned a corner. This time there was no doubt as to whether or not she had been imagining things; the slipstream caused by the speed of the blurred object was felt by everyone. Some of the other bystanders muttered irritably as they fixed their clothes or hair and continued along their way, while others beamed with excitement and awe at what they knew was the famous Sonic the Hedgehog.

Overflowing with excitement, Amy eagerly rushed after Sonic, turning the corner and spotting a blue blur coming to a stop just a few feet away. She opened her mouth to shout out the hedgehog's name.

"Soni-!"

Before she had finished, the figure vanished from sight. Amy came to a stop, blinking and trying to figure out what had just happened. Where had he gone? He had just been there a second ago! She knew Sonic was fast, but he wasn't _that _fast; not fast enough to disappear in the blink of an eye without attracting attention to himself, at least. Yet the people around her had not even glanced at the slowing hedgehog, nor looked his way when he had suddenly vanished. How could they, when he had disappeared without even a gust of wind left behind?

Her puzzling came to a stop when she heard a sudden gasp behind her. Instinctively, Amy spun around to determine the source of this alarmed cry.

And found a pair of gold irises positioned an inch from her face.

Crying out in alarm, Amy backed away and tripped, landing on her backside on the hard pavement. Wincing with pain, she then looked up in shock at the figure before her, recognizing the blue robot immediately.

"Me-Metal Sonic?" she gasped fearfully, unable to believe that the mechanical hedgehog was actually standing (or hovering to be more precise) directly in front of her. He looked just like he always had, just like he had when she had first seen him (which was when she had first met Sonic as well). There was only one difference now: the golden eyes as opposed to the crimson ones.

No, that wasn't the only difference. There was something as well. Aside from the eyes, Metal Sonic _looked _exactly the same, but there was clearly something different about him. He gave of a strange "vibe" (if you will), a strange aura; one that Amy (had she not been so distracted by Metal Sonic's appearance) would have recognized to be a similar feeling she experienced when she was around Super Sonic or Super Shadow. It was an aura of pure and unmatched power, of determination.

But this aura differed greatly from Super Sonic and Super Shadow's: instead of a warm, soothing feeling engulfing her, Amy could feel an inexplicable chill run up her spine as she watched the robot loom over her. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she suddenly felt as frightened as she had been when she first met Metal Sonic all those years ago in that chemical plant. Amy shuddered visibly as Metal Sonic's golden eyes looked down at her; those cold, normally lifeless eyes of his seemed to be alight with some kind of insane, sadistic delight right now. If anything, the sight unsettled her even more.

Metal Sonic lazily pulled his gaze away from Amy and to the crowd of spectators that had gathered around. Without warning, he swung his arm in their direction and launched a barrage of Chaos Spears at them. Two humans were struck in the chest, dying instantly, while another got hit in the arm. Metal Sonic snapped his fingers callously, and the Chaos Spears all exploded at once, setting their victims and those nearby ablaze. Right on cue, the crowd of people screamed in fear and dispersed, scrambling away from Metal Sonic like headless chickens. With the audience now in panic, Metal Sonic turned cold, robotic eyes to the fuchsia hedgehog.

"Amy Rose," he drawled in a chilling voice, catching the pink hedgehog off-guard with the fact that he could now talk. "Lover of Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as a close friend. If something horrible were to happen to you, Sonic would be very distressed… Yes, _very _distressed." His eyes glinted malevolently.

Amy blinked, staring up at robot. "Wait, did you say Sonic? You know where he is? He's alive?"

"For the moment," Metal Sonic replied off-handedly, floating closer to the female hedgehog. He reached out with a cold, metal hand and firmly grasped her bare arm. "Now then, you're coming with me, Amy Rose."

Amy scowled and yanked her arm out of Metal Sonic's grip, leaping to her feet and backing away from him. "I don't think so!" she cried defiantly, pulling out her red-and-yellow Piko Piko Hammer and taking a battle stance. "You're going to tell me where Sonic is, Metal-Face! Right now!"

The glow in Metal Sonic's eyes dulled as if he were narrowing his eyes. "You misunderstand. That wasn't a request," he hissed. Amy was not intimidated (or at least she did not appear to be), instead raising her hammer and charging at the mechanical hedgehog with a battle cry.

Now, one might look at this and think that either Amy was unbelievably stupid to think she could take on Metal Sonic, or that she was extremely conceited. Truth was, neither was the case. The female hedgehog knew that, since Metal Sonic had come looking for her, there was no chance for her to escape; therefore, the least she could do was go down with a fight and maybe - just maybe - in the process learn where Sonic was and what had happened to him. With this idea in mind, Amy swung her Piko Piko Hammer down with all her might at Metal Sonic's expressionless visage, a determined flame dancing in her green eyes.

Lazily, as if he had better things to do, Metal Sonic raised his hand and brought it in the path of the hammer, catching it in mid-swing and halting its motion. Amy just had enough time to blink in awe at what had happened before Metal Sonic's hand glowed with an aura of Chaos Energy. A burst of Chaos Energy erupted from his hand and shot upwards, purposely missing the top of Amy's head by inches. However, the head of Amy's hammer received the full brunt of the attack. When the explosion of energy subsided, Amy held in her hands nothing but the smoking handle of her hammer, its head having been incinerated to dust. Speechless, Amy stepped back from Metal Sonic and peered down in horror at her beloved hammer, now destroyed and useless.

"Pathetic. Without that hammer, you're completely useless," Metal Sonic remarked harshly, lowering his hand and practically leering at Amy. He then pointed his palm at the pink hedgehog, and at once Amy was lifted into the air as if by some invisible force; she could feel something invisible wrapped around her neck like a rope. She struggled to break free of whatever was holding her up, tugging her arms at the imaginary binding, but it was a futile attempt.

"Now, you're coming with me," Metal Sonic repeated coldly.

Amy chucked the remains of her hammer at Metal Sonic, who did not react to the action. The broken weapon harmlessly bounced off his head and fell to the pavement with a clatter. Wordlessly, Metal Sonic pulled his hand towards himself, causing his captive to float closer to him as well.

"As I said: completely useless," he sneered, his pointed nose only a foot away from Amy's.

She spat on his face.

The mechanical hedgehog did not respond to this act of brashness, not even attempting to wipe off the saliva as it trickled down over his eye. He seemed completely unfazed by Amy's insolence, just as he had been when Amy had attacked him.

And then his eyes glowed in outrage.

With a snarl, Metal Sonic lifted his arm higher into the air, causing Amy to rise with it. He then swung his appendage down forcefully, and a struggling Amy was sent crashing onto the concrete below. She hit the ground hard, crying out in pain and coughing up blood. Almost immediately, Metal Sonic forcibly jerked her back into the air, and mercilessly slammed her back onto the hard ground.

"_Yield_," he commanded in a sinister hiss, his eyes glowing with apparent anger and insanity. He slammed Amy once more against the ground, repeating the process over and over, ignoring her screams of pain each time.

"Yield!" he shouted once more, smashing her body for the final time against the now cracked sidewalk. The pink figure lay limply on the pavement.

He relinquished his mental hold on the girl and floated over to her prone figure. Bending down, he grabbed her by her "hair" and lifted her heartlessly into the air, inspecting the damage he'd done. The girl's eyes were closed due to a loss of consciousness, and blood was trickling out of her mouth and nose.

"A little broken, but still valuable," Metal Sonic remarked with cruel humor. He pulled her face closer to his and whispered in her ear. "Associating yourself with that hedgehog was the biggest mistake of your life, wench."

And with a flash of light, he vanished with his captive.

* * *

><p><em><strong>One minute ago…<strong>_

"I hope Amy is alright…"

The young rabbit, Cream, was strolling through the street, her Chao friend hovering beside her. The rabbit was worrying about her best friend, who she knew was grieving over the disappearance of Sonic. Cream felt sorry for her and wanted to help, but Amy had refused any comfort from her.

"She's worried about Mr. Sonic, Cheese," Cream continued sadly. "I wish there was something we could do to make her feel better."

"Chao…" Cheese remarked in an equally saddened tone.

As the two turned a corner, they caught sight of a stampede of terrified people headed their way. Cream and Cheese just managed to fly into the air and out of harm's way as the crowd reached them. Had they remained in the place, they would have surely bee run over by the panicking citizens.

Cream looked down in wonder at the frightened people. "What do you think everyone's running from, Cheese?" she asked her companion.

"Chao!" was the reply.

Cream nodded her head, apparently having understood the Chao. "Good idea, Cheese! We _should_ go find out what's wrong."

Having come to this decision, the two airborne creatures flew over the scrambling people until the crowd finally thinned out a block ahead. Cream landed on the ground to continue the journey on foot. She hurried in the direction which everyone was running away from, her childish mindset leaving her incapable of realizing the wise truth: never run _towards _what everyone else was running away from. Then again, it may have just been a heroic trait she had gained from hanging around Sonic and Company for so long.

It was a few moments later that Cream came to a corner, and she turned round it just in time to see a startling sight. Metal Sonic stood with his back to her, having yet to spot her. Cream's eyes widened as she recognized the metallic figure, and immediately hid behind the corner, peering around it nervously at the robot.

"Cheese! It's that evil robot that looks like Mr. Sonic!" she whispered quietly to her Chao, who nodded fervently from beside her. Cream then noticed who Metal Sonic was currently looming over. She immediately recognized the unconscious, pink figure Metal Sonic cold-heartedly lifted into the air and spoke to.

"Amy!" Cream gasped quietly, wondering what she should do. She couldn't go out there and face Metal Sonic all by herself, could she? She was just a little girl, while Metal Sonic was one of the toughest enemies that Sonic had faced. What could someone like _her_ do against someone like _him_? It would be suicidal of her to try and confront him!

No. She _had _to. Amy was in trouble, she had to rescue her friend. She couldn't just stay back and worry about her own safety over a comrade's. That was not like her. She had to help her friend. It may be crazy, it may be risky, but she hadn't gone and survived so many adventures by being a heartless coward.

With a hardened resolve, Cream leaped out from behind her hiding spot and declared, in an attempt at a brave voice, "Leave her alone!"

She expected Metal Sonic to turn around and glare at her, maybe even attack her without warning. What she didn't expect was for him to vanish the moment she shouted those words. Cream blinked, staring at the spot where Metal Sonic had just been standing (hovering).

"They're gone," Cream said slowly, taking a step closer to where Metal Sonic and Amy had been. She looked up and glanced around, as if expecting to see them somewhere nearby, but predictably she didn't.

"Where did they go?" she wondered. Metal Sonic had vanished in a flash of yellow light. She had seen Sonic and Shadow disappear like that before. It was when they used Chaos Control. But they would always be using the Chaos Emeralds when they did that.

"Chao!" Cheese cried suddenly, tugging at Cream's ears to gain her attention. The rabbit turned her head to look up at the floating blue creature. "Chao Chao!" he continued more urgently, waving his stubby arms frantically. Cream suddenly nodded in apparent agreement.

"You're right, Cheese! We have to tell someone what happened!" she agreed. But she then frowned, scratching the side of her head in confusion. "But who? Mr. Sonic, Tails, and Mr. Knuckles are all missing…"

With another exclamation of "Chao!", Cheese waved a fingerless arm in a certain direction, at a sign nearby. Cream looked up at the sign and read the painted words on it, which named the area to which Cheese was gesturing.

"Night Babylon?" Cream read out loud, looking over at Cheese, no doubt wondering why he was pointing it out. The rabbit realized what her friend was trying to convey to her.

"Of course! Miss Rouge!" Cream exclaimed in comprehension. "Good idea, Cheese. Miss Rouge could help us save Amy. Or she might know where Mr. Shadow is, and the two of them could help us rescue Amy from that evil robot!"

Flapping her ears, she began rising into the air with the Chao following suit. The logic-defying rabbit flapped over the streets and around buildings until she reached the building with currently-extinguished neon sign reading "Club Rouge". Cream landed in front of the club, noticing to her dismay that it was closed. However, she didn't lose hope and turn around, thinking that Rouge might still be inside. Therefore, she walked over to the door and knocked gingerly on it, and waited for a reply. When no reply came, she tried again. Same result.

_Maybe the door's not locked at all? _Cream thought hopefully, pushing it open with both hands. To her pleasure, it was indeed open. Grinning happily, the young rabbit stepped into the club. It was completely empty, and the lights were all closed, further signifying the fact that the facility was closed.

"Hello?" Cream called out tentatively, slightly nervous from the eerie silence in the building. "Miss Rouge? Mr. Shadow? Is anyone there?" She waited a few seconds, hoping for a reply. When none came, she turned sadly to her companion. "I don't think there's anyone here, Cheese."

Then -

"Intruder detected," announced a synthetic, monotonous voice suddenly. "Initiating expulsion measures."

The young rabbit yelped and turned around to face a (comparatively) towering robot colored in black and red paint. She recognized the robot to be one of Shadow and Rouge's friends, but unfortunately for her, he didn't recognize her.

"Wait, Mr. Robot!" she cried frantically as the robot pointed a machine gun in her face. "I'm not your enemy! It's me, Cream!"

"Chao!" Cheese shouted angrily, coming in between Cream and the machine gun's barrel in a protective manner. Omega's eyes swiveled as he scanned the two life forms in front of him.

"Scanning… Identity confirmed. Subject: Cream the Rabbit and Subject: "Cheese" the Chao. Status: Allies," he declared, retracting his guns and straightening up. "Deactivating security measures."

Cream sighed with relief. She looked up at the robot. "Excuse me, Mr. Robot, but is Miss Rouge here?" she asked. "I need to talk to her."

"Negative," came the emotionless reply. "Rouge is currently occupied with a mission for GUN. I was left to guard her accommodations until her return."

"Oh." Cream looked crestfallen. "What about Mr. Shadow?"

"Whereabouts of Ultimate Lifeform currently unknown." Omega glanced down at the distressed rabbit. "Should it be necessary, this unit can locate Shadow and bring him to you."

Cream's face brightened. "You can find him? Really?"

"Affirmative. I was built to guard and detain Shadow, after all. Locating his whereabouts are a part of my capabilities."

"What about Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked eagerly. "Can you find him?"

"Probability of locating Sonic the Hedgehog: 77%," Omega informed factually. Hydraulics within his body hissed as he looked down at Cream. "Shall I commence tracking?"

Cream nodded fervently. "Yes, yes! Oh and, if you find Mr. Sonic, can you deliver a message to him?"

"Understood. Commence recording of message."

It took Cream a few seconds before she realized that Omega wanted her to dictate her message to him for documentation. Clearing her throat, Cream narrated the second portion of this entire tale. Once she was done explaining, she nodded to Omega to indicate this.

"Message received," Omega announced flatly, his yellow-hooded head swinging from side to side. "Priorities reset. Primary Objective: Locate Subject: Sonic the Hedgehog and relay message." He began to trudge over to the front door with heavy footsteps. "Commencing mission."

"Thank you!" Cream called out gratefully to the departing robot. "Oh and, if you find Mr. Shadow or Miss Rouge before Mr. Sonic, then you can give them the message instead!" she added quickly.

"Understood," Omega stated as he pushed the door open. "Sub-Mission added: Locate Ally: Shadow the Hedgehog and Ally: Rouge the Bat. Setting as Alternate to Primary Objective should initial be unsuccessful."

And he disappeared into the sunlight for his quest.


	26. Chapter 25: Planning

**Author's Note: Hmm, it's been over a month since my last update. As I'm sure many of you guessed, the temporary break was due to examinations. But, I'm all done with them now, so here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 25: Planning<strong>

"End transmission," Omega said flatly as the hologram of Cream finished speaking and faded away. An awkward silence had followed the narration, not one of disbelief, but one of discomfort. One by one, Shadow, Rouge, and Eggman glanced at Sonic, wondering how he was going to react to this news. None of them really knew what they should do in this situation, whether they should try to comfort Sonic or not.

Sonic lowered his head slightly. "So he got Amy as well," he remarked grimly. He suddenly turned a thoughtful gaze at Omega. "You say he captured her? He didn't kill her?" he asked suddenly. Shadow, Rouge, and Eggman turned expectant faces to Omega.

"Affirmative," Omega responded. "That is what I was informed."

Sonic let out a sigh of relief and smiled weakly. "So that must mean that Tails and Knuckles are alive as well," he concluded hopefully. "Metal Sonic must be holding all three of them captive in the same place."

He looked at the three other organic beings with him expectantly. Eggman smirked in agreement.

"Seems like it," he responded casually. Shadow nodded his head in agreement.

Rouge, however, did not seem to care about Amy, Knuckles, or Tails at the moment.

"Omega!" she cried out in anger, pointing a furious finger at the bulky robot. "You're telling me you left my Club completely unattended?"

"Affirmative."

"GAH! I told you _not _to!" Rouge moaned, clutching her head and shaking it in irritation. "There's a reason I left you in charge! I told you to stay there and guard my possessions, _no matter what_! Remember?"

"That was the task assigned to me," Omega admitted calmly. "However, I once read in one of your magazines that the only true treasures in life are one's friends. Nothing else compares."

Sonic snorted in laughter while Shadow raised an eyebrow in mild amusement.

Rouge shook her head at Omega. "Thank you, Tin Woodsman," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You don't seriously believe that, do you?"

Omega shook his head in a very human-like manner. "Negative. It is illogical to assume that friends are more valuable than actual treasure. Friends have no monetary value."

This time Sonic raised an eyebrow in amusement. He looked over at Shadow and Rouge and jerked a thumb at the robot. "I can see why you guys are his only friends," he laughed, turning back to face Omega. And the machine gun barrel pointed in his face.

"Speech patterns indicate that you are insulting me, Meatbag," Omega hissed, showing the first real emotion since his arrival.

Sonic grinned weakly. "What? A lowly organic like me, insult a great robot like you?" he said nervously, tentatively trying to push the gun out of his face. "I would never! No sir, I would never!"

Omega did not seem to buy Sonic's statement, still keeping his weapon trained on Sonic's face. The blue hedgehog glanced nervously at Shadow and Rouge.

"Uhh, could you guys ask your friend to stop pointing his gun at me?" he pleaded with a hopeful grin. Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other, then at Sonic, and turned away.

"Oh c'mon!" Sonic exclaimed as Omega practically shoved the nozzle of his gun into Sonic's nose. "Stop fooling around, guys! I can see you smirking, Rouge! You too, Shadow!"

Ignoring the blue hedgehog, Shadow then glanced at Eggman. "So Doctor, you said you had a plan for beating Metal Sonic?"

Hearing this, three pairs of eyes turned to face the brilliant scientist. Omega stopped playing around and lowered his arm from Sonic's face, watching the pyknic man patiently. Eggman chuckled confidently.

"Indeed I do. Follow me."

He led the way to the door he had originally been heading for when Sonic had arrived. He punched in the entry code on the panel beside the door, and led them through it once it slid open. The five descended a flight of stairs until they reached a separate landing. Beyond them were another pair of sealed doors, their access panels glowing with a soft green hue. The Doctor approached the wider pair of doors and typed in the required code. The twin doors split open with a hiss to reveal what was unmistakably an elevator compartment, and seemingly futuristic at that. Eggman made to step into the elevator, but was halted by Sonic tapping him on the elbow and speaking up.

"Uh, are you sure we can all fit in there?" He gestured covertly to Omega. "I don't think that thing can hold all of us; especially - you know - the heavy killer robot."

Fortunately, Omega did not seem to catch Sonic's words on account of the low tone the hedgehog was using. Still, he had raised a good point. Eggman's elevator may have been large enough for all five of them to _fit _in, but it was unlikely it could _hold _their combined mass. And obviously, Eggman seemed to have realized this as well, for he frowned slightly as he looked over at the clueless robot.

"Yes, I think you're right, Sonic," Eggman whispered back to the blue Mobian.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" Rouge asked as Eggman and Sonic turned back to face them.

"No, it's nothing. I just remembered that this elevator is broken," he lied quickly and convincingly, no doubt also wanting to avoid having the "touchy" robot blast his face off.

"Looks alright to me," Rouge remarked, peering at the elevator compartment carefully.

"Well, it's not. Now follow me," Eggman snapped irritably before hobbling over to the other door and unlocking it. He slid it open to reveal a long, winding staircase that curved out of sight. Sonic looked down and whistled loudly, the sound echoing off the walls and signifying the depth of the stairway.

"Those sure are a lot of steps," he observed, looking at Eggman. "Where do they lead to?"

"All the way down to the foundations of this tower," Eggman replied, and it was hard to miss the aggravation in his voice as he said this. The prospect of having to climb down hundreds of steps seemed extremely unappealing to someone of his "proportions". Nonetheless, he led the way down without complaint, though the frustrated expression did not vanish.

The five walked for a solid five minutes down the curling, metal stairway, with only the dim artificial lights illuminating their path. As they went down, Shadow and Rouge (or at least Rouge) used the opportunity to bring Omega up-to-speed on the current situation, and all that had transpired since Metal Sonic's latest act of perfidy. Every now and then, Sonic and Shadow would throw in a piece of additional information, but otherwise it was only the treasure huntress who did the explaining.

This led to Omega answering Rouge's next question: how did he know they were at this base of Eggman's? Using his fragmented and computerized speech patterns littered with deliberate pauses, the crimson robot conveyed the following: Omega had initially been unsuccessful in pin-pointing Sonic and Shadow's location, something which had stunned the proud robot; though this had most likely been due to the fact that both hedgehogs had been out in the middle of uncharted waters at the time. Realizing that he would not be able to find either hedgehog swiftly enough, the robot had then sought out information regarding Rouge's whereabouts. Initially, he had hit a dead-end, for no one knew what had become of the bat either. However, there had been an interesting report in the GUN files, about how "someone" seemed to have "stolen" the GUN Chief's personal helicopter. Furthermore, the chopper's signal had been terminated in this desert.

"Rouge is the only GUN agent bold enough to execute a task as reckless as stealing a superior's helicopter," Omega had stated bluntly (amid sniggering from Sonic). "Logic dictated that, as the vehicle's signal had last been traced here, it would be safe to assume that Rouge was still here, or had been here recently. Arrival at the determined destination confirmed this hypothesis: Rouge was indeed here, as were Shadow and Sonic."

At this point, however, the conversation came to a halt when they (finally) reached the bottom of the stairway. A small landing with a single door barred their way, but Eggman swiftly entered another password into it, and just as before the door slid open. He stepped inside with Shadow, Sonic, Rouge, and Omega right behind him.

The three Mobian blinked and looked around at the room they were in. It was unmistakably -.

"A lab?" Rouge said in surprise. Numerous inventions, experiments, and computers littered the room, all completely intact.

"Yes," Eggman remarked. "The only way in is through the door we just came through. Fortunately, as this place is part of the foundation and thus quite resilient, it wasn't harmed when all of you stormed the upper area."

Sonic whistled. "Heh, must be some tough material built above this place," he noted. Eggman laughed smugly.

"Indeed. Keeping this place well-protected is very essential. A laboratory is the second-most important room for a scientist, you know."

"And what's the most important room?" Sonic asked curiously. Eggman smirked.

"The room where the scientist keeps all the results of his experiments, of course."

He led them further through the laboratory, which was so large it took up an entire floor to itself. Eventually, he brought them to a stop in front of a large, rectangular machine with seven tubes on its top. Eggman turned to face his audience.

"As I'm sure you all know - and as Shadow pointed out when last we met - the majority of my plans require the power of the Chaos Emeralds to succeed. For that, I needed a way to draw out the Emeralds' power and then use it to power my inventions; which is why I invented _this_." He patted the machine beside him. "It allows me to siphon out the Emeralds' energy and then channel it into another machine for usage."

Sonic scratched his head in wonder. "Okay. And how will that help us?" he asked.

"It doesn't. But _these _will."

He then led them to another machine, this one more of a capsule, and with only one tube. Inside this tube could be seen seven, crimson guns. Eggman pointed at the guns. "I call these the "Egg Drainers". These guns make use of the same concept and technology as that machine. Each one can draw out the power of one Emerald." He pressed a button on the machine, causing the lid of the tube to slide back and enable him to lift one of the two-foot long guns out. He held the weapon in both hands as he turned to face his audience.

"Using these, we can drain Metal Sonic of his powers and pull out all the Chaos Energy in his body, including the Emeralds!" Eggman declared triumphantly, brandishing the weapon proudly at the four.

A stunned silence followed Eggman's words.

Sonic raised his eyebrows. "You mean to tell us you have an invention which is suitable for this _very _situation?" he asked in disbelief. He suddenly pointed an accusing finger at the Doctor. "You _meant _for Metal Sonic to go Super, didn't you?" he accused.

Eggman blinked at Sonic, before giving a sigh of exasperation. "No, of course I didn't, you fool," he snapped angrily. "I'd originally made these as a precautionary measure, in case my plan backfired and either you or Shadow ended up entering your Super Form somehow. Then I was going to turn these guns on you and draw out your power."

Sonic looked at Eggman skeptically. "So basically, they were made for this very situation," he repeated stubbornly.

"Well yes, in a sense. But they were originally meant for you and Sha-."

Sonic looked pointedly at Eggman.

"Alright fine," the Doctor sighed in defeat. "They were made for this very situation. Happy?"

"Glad to see you agree," laughed Sonic jovially. He threw Eggman a thumbs-up. "Good job, Eggman. Finally putting that noggin of yours to good use!" Sonic turned to the others in the room, grinning excitedly at them. "Looks like we've got a fighting chance now, guys!"

Rouge nodded her head in agreement, but Shadow and Omega were not paying any attention to Sonic's words. Said blue hedgehog looked in their direction and saw that the two were standing in front of the machine, peering down at the guns silently. However, Sonic's irritation as to why Shadow and Omega were ignoring him was forgotten by Shadow's next words.

"There are seven guns…," Shadow stated slowly and thoughtfully. He looked up from the weapons and at Sonic, Eggman, and Rouge. "But only five of us."

"Number of arms exceeds number of available arms," Omega added matter-of-factly, unaware of his confusing choice of words.

"There aren't enough of us to wield all these guns," Shadow restated, looking back down at the firearms. "And judging by their design and size, they're meant to be held with both hands, not one hand."

"Five is an insufficient number," Omega put forth.

Eggman scratched a finger against the side of his head. "Actually, there aren't _five_ of us who can use these guns," he announced, drawing quizzical glances from the others. Eggman elaborated: "We need someone who can already manipulate Chaos Energy to support the siphoning process by calling on the Chaos Emeralds' power. Otherwise the process may take too long. That means one of you two -." Eggman nodded to Sonic and Shadow. "- will have to draw out Metal Sonic's power by yourself, without an Egg Drainer."

Omega swiveled his head to the weapons and then to each of the organics in turn. "Re-evaluating: there are only four of us, yet seven guns," he remarked. "Still insufficient."

Sonic glanced away from Eggman and grinned at Shadow. "Well then, I'll handle the weaponless draining," he decided. "You can take use the gun, Shadow. I never liked guns to begin with. Too loud."

Shadow reached into the compartment and picked up one of the guns, holding it in both hands as he inspected it with a critical eye. He nodded his head approvingly, satisfied with the weapon and its structure. He looked up from the firearm at the four people.

"Well, these are certainly of excellent quality," he remarked in admiration, twirling the weapon skillfully in his hand. "Although, they're meaningless if we can't use all seven of them, correct?"

Eggman nodded. "Yes. Unless all seven are used, we won't be able to drain Metal Sonic's power. We may be able to weaken him, but he would ultimately be able to regain his lost energy in no time. To truly defeat him, we have to draw out every photon of Chaos Energy within him."

"And do you have a solution for our "lack of arms", Eggman?" Sonic asked with an amused expression.

"I suppose I could get three of my robots to help us out," Eggman replied in a contemplative tone, stroking his chin with his hand.

"Negative," Omega argued with sudden aggressiveness, taking a step forward and clenching a metal hand angrily. "Eggman robots cannot be trusted to help us. Such inferior creations are not up to performing this task."

Rouge sighed. "Omega, it's either Eggman's robots, or someone like - I don't know - the Chaotix," she informed him calmly.

Omega's red optics rotated as he actually considered Rouge's words. "Evaluating possibilities," he remarked slowly. "Evaluation complete. Conclusion reached: Eggman robots are more competent and capable in completing this task than The Chaotic Detective Agency. I agree with this plan... Grudgingly."

Sonic grinned. "Ouch! Well, if the _logical_ robot agrees." He started to laugh, but caught himself in case Omega decided to put a few holes in Sonic for mocking him. Fortunately, the robot did not seem to catch his tone once again. Most likely because he was still reluctant to work with Eggman's robots, let alone with Eggman himself.

Eggman clapped his hands, suddenly looking like the embodiment of business. "Alright then, since we're all agreed on the plan, why don't I get everything prepared?" He moved to the machine and picked up all of the guns into his arms. "I'll need to tweak these a little to ensure they're working at optimal capacity," he informed them as he walked over to a table and deposited the weapons on its metal surface. He laid a few tools beside them before seating himself on a chair and beginning his work. Almost immediately, he was lost in his little world of tinkering and inventing.

Shadow looked away from the Doctor and to the others. "Think his plan will work?" he asked them, lowering his voice to ensure privacy.

Sonic grinned. "Of course it'll work, Shadow," he answered confidently, jerking his thumb at the fixated scientist. "You can't forget who is. He is the Eggman. He's got the master plan."

Shadow frowned. "I wouldn't be so faithful in the success of the Doctor's plans if I were you, Sonic. After all, you've proven time and time again that he's plans are likely to fail."

Sonic laughed softly. "Well, yeah, but this time there's a difference. Eggman's got me!" He pointed a proud finger at himself, positively beaming.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at him.

Sonic sighed and gave an exasperated roll of his green eyes. "Oh alright, Shadow. Eggman's got me, you, and Omega. Happy?"

"Hey, wait a sec!" Rouge demanded angrily, glaring at Sonic. "What about me?"

Sonic shrugged innocently at the bat. "Sorry, Rouge, but you're just not important enough," he replied in mock pity, though with a smug face. Rouge placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh really? And why's that?"

"Well…," Sonic began slowly, glancing at Shadow and Omega as if sending them a silent prompt, before turning back to Rouge with a sly grin. He jerked his thumb at Shadow. "For starters, Shadow's the Ultimate Lifeform. And Omega -"

"I am the Ultimate Robot," Omega interjected arrogantly.

"And I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!" the blue hedgehog continued proudly with his signature grin of smugness. "_The _Sonic the Hedgehog: The Fastest Thing Alive, The Blue Blur, The Blue Hero, The -!"

"That'll do, Sonic," Shadow interrupted irritably, cutting off Sonic's egotistical words. The black hedgehog looked at Rouge, and smirked. "But Sonic's right, Rouge. We're all special. You, on the other hand, are just a simple treasure hunter: nothing special."

Rouge frowned at the trio, knowing that all three of them were only pulling her leg, but that didn't mean she liked it. Huffing angrily, she crossed her arms and looked away from them.

"_Men_!" she growled angrily. "You're all so conceited."

"I resent that," Omega retorted, though in an unsuitably calm voice. "I am a robot, not an inferior male life form."

"Hey! Who you callin' inferior, Bucket Head?" Sonic shouted furiously.

"Silence, Meatbag."

"Would you three keep it down?" Eggman finally snapped from his chair, glaring as he brandished a wrench threateningly at them. "Some peace and quiet would be really appreciated!"

"Yes, Daddy," Sonic replied meekly, turning away from Eggman with a smile. "We promise not to disturb you anymore."

Ten minutes later…

"Are you done yet?" Sonic asked, peering over Eggman's shoulder to take a peek at what the Doctor was doing.

Eggman growled audibly. "Not yet," he muttered angrily, trying to keep his concentration on his work and not on the blue hedgehog behind him.

"How 'bout now?" Sonic pressed.

"No."

"Now?"

"_No_."

"What about now?"

"God dammit, Sonic!" Eggman exploded, slamming his fists onto the table in anger. He spun around to face the blue hedgehog. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

Sonic faked a look of surprise. "Why, whatever do you mean, Doc?" he asked in a tone of mock ignorance, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to keep himself from smiling. Muttering incomprehensibly under his breath, Eggman returned to his tinkering.

Then -

"Hey, Eggman…," Sonic began thoughtfully, and the bald man had to do everything in his power not to turn around and chuck the screw driver in his hand at Sonic's face. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on his work and let Sonic continue.

"I was wondering, Eggman, what happened to the Black Arms?" Sonic asked. A few feet away, Shadow's ears twitched at the question and he looked over Sonic and Eggman, awaiting Eggman's reply.

"The what?" Eggman asked, genuinely failing to realize what Sonic was talking about.

"You know: those Black Arm warriors of yours? The ones Metal Sonic scared off earlier? Remember?"

Eggman's puzzled expression cleared as he understood Sonic's query. "Oh, them. Yes, well… Unfortunately, Metal Sonic got to them after teleporting you three away. I found their bloodied remains a few kilometers from here. They weren't of any use to me anymore, so I burned them; what remained of them anyway."

"Oh," was all Sonic could say after this rather cold-hearted comment. "Err, I guess I'll just leave you to finish your work then…"

"You're too kind, my dear hedgehog," Eggman sneered sarcastically.

Shadow looked away from Sonic and Eggman and at the floor, going over what the Doctor had just said. Should he feel sorry for those Black Arms? Though they had been mutated greatly, they were still technically related to Shadow through blood. They had been, in a sense, his "brothers". Furthermore, they had only been doing what their master had told them too; and they had done it with the mindset of a newborn, innocent child. Yes, that was true. Eggman's Black Arms had a disparity from the originals, not just in terms of power and appearance, but in intelligence. While the original Black Arms had certainly been no "Einsteins", they had at the very least been smart enough to know one end of a gun from another. Eggman's versions, however, would not know the difference between a car and a motorcycle. They had not really been responsible for their actions, just as a child is not responsible for the mistakes it makes. So it begged the question: Should he be grieved by their deaths?

_Well, maybe not the first one that died_, Shadow reconsidered, remembering how said Black Arm had severely crippled him. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching him. Without turning his head, Shadow looked up out of the corner of his eye at the lumbering robot that had advanced towards him.

"It's there something wrong, Omega?" Shadow asked casually, not moving his face's direction from the floor.

"Negative," Omega replied. He seemed to be eyeing Shadow with what appeared to be concern. "Scans indicate that you are undergoing mental conflict, Shadow. Do you require any medical assistance?"

Shadow turned a momentarily surprised face to Omega. Had the nature of his thoughts been so gloomy that a socially-lacking robot like Omega had been able to detect them? No, that wasn't right. Omega may be as anti-social as Shadow was (perhaps even more), but the crimson robot was one of the two people who could tell, or at least guess accurately, what was going on behind Shadow's stoic visage.

Shadow shook his head, his face as emotionless as the robot's. "No, it's alright, Omega. I was just thinking about a few things; nothing too important."

Omega's posture seemed to relax, or at least it appeared that way to Shadow. "Understood. My sensors were most likely malfunctioning earlier."

Shadow smirked. "Yes, most likely," he repeated slowly and humorously.


	27. Chapter 26: Execution

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 26: Execution<strong>

It had been over three-quarters of an hour since Eggman had begun tinkering with his Egg Drainers, and many of the others were beginning to get restless with all the waiting. Fortunately, they all seemed to have found a way to entertain themselves; and it didn't include badgering and annoying Eggman.

In her boredom, Rouge had begun perusing some of the books Eggman had stocked in his laboratory; or, to be more accurate, she was merely glancing through the covers before tossing them uncaringly to the floor. Already a small mountain of books lay on the floor beside her. Shadow seemed lost in his own little world as was characteristic of him, his head bowed and eyes closed while he leaned against a wall: he hadn't moved from this spot since Eggman had told them all to shut up. Sonic was busy examining the multitude of bottled chemicals and substances Eggman had in the room. His emerald green eyes were full of childish curiosity as he picked up a conical flask of some translucent, pink liquid and held it at eye-level. Omega, meanwhile, was watching Eggman like a hawk, his luminous, crimson optics never faltering from the fat man. His metal claws were clenched slightly, as if he was expecting the Doctor to pull a treacherous move on them at any moment.

However, this all came to an end when, all of a sudden, a loud beeping sound filled the entire room. The room had been so still and quiet before its occurrence that nearly everyone was startled by it. Rouge started and knocked the pile of books beside her to the floor. Shadow's eyes flew open and he titled his head upwards involuntarily at the sound, accidently banging the back of his head against the wall as he did so. He grimaced and rubbed the spot where it had struck. Omega looked about ready to pull out his guns and start blasting anything that moved; he had even raised his arms in preparation of this. Over at his workbench, Eggman looked up from his work and glanced around.

Sonic, meanwhile, was surreptitiously edging away from the table he had been standing at a few seconds ago. At the origination of the beeping sound, Sonic had jerked violently and had accidently dropped the flask in his hand. The container had smashed to pieces upon hitting the floor, and its pink contents had immediately begun eating through the metal floor like an acid. A small hole had been carved into the floor, but everyone (except Sonic, of course) was too busy to notice this; lucky for Sonic.

Five pairs of eyes simultaneously drifted to one of the computer screens against a wall. A flashing message on the red screen read "Incoming Message". A bemused Eggman lowered his tools and moved to the computer, examining something on the console before it. As the other four watched him, Eggman gave a sudden exclamation of surprise and turned around to face the confused Mobians and the robot.

"It's an incoming visual transmission," the Doctor began seriously, "from Metal Sonic."

"What?" Sonic exclaimed, taking a step forward. Around him, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega had stiffered visibly. "You mean he knows we're here?"

Eggman shook his head. "No, that's not it." He turned back to the monitor, peering at the message on the screen through his blue glasses. "I recognize the format of this transmission. It's a wide-range broadcast, one that's sent to every one of my bases. No doubt Metal Sonic is trying to communicate with me for some reason, but he clearly doesn't know where I am: which is why he's sending the message to all my bases and hoping he'll find the right one through that." He returned his gaze to the console. "Though, he might be able to trace the signal if we answer…"

The Doctor turned to the others, silently asking them whether they thought it wise to answer the call and risk having their location revealed to their enemy. One by one, they all looked at one another, until finally four pairs of eyes were locked on Sonic. The blue hedgehog smirked confidently and jerked his head at the flashing screen.

"Well, he's going to find out eventually," Sonic stated calmly. "Might as well be polite and answer his call. Who knows? Maybe he wants to surrender."

"What's it like in your world, Sonic?" Shadow asked in mock interest. "Are the trees made of cotton candy?"

Sonic grinned. "Nope. They're made of chili dogs."

"Ah, of course."

Eggman cleared his throat. "If you're both done…," he remarked impatiently, moving his finger to the button that would accept and play the transmission. However, before he could press it, Sonic forestalled him once more.

"Hold it, Doc," he ordered, walking over to the console to stand beside Eggman. "Let _me _answer it. The rest of you guys -." He turned to face Shadow, Rouge, and Omega. "- stay out of sight, and don't let Metal Sonic see you."

"What? Why?" Rouge asked in a baffled voice.

Sonic raised a finger pointedly and grinned knowingly. "Because this way, Metal Sonic won't know that you guys are back. He'll think I'm the only one who's managed to return, and once he knows that, he won't even bother checking whether you guys are still trapped on that island."

Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other.

"He has a point," Rouge admitted.

"Surprisingly - yes," Shadow concurred with obvious distaste. He turned around and walked away from Sonic and Eggman, with Rogue and Omega following him. Eggman then turned to Sonic.

"Alright, Sonic, you answer it. I'll try and see if I can track the transmission's signal to its origin. We need to find out where Metal Sonic is if we're going to execute "Operation Leech"."

"That's a horrible name for an operation, and you know it, Eggman," Sonic stated irritably as the Doctor moved away from him. Eggman sidled up to another row of keys out of sight of the monitor facing Sonic; this way he could work on the computer without being seen by Metal Sonic. Sonic then turned to face the computer screen, and after a moment's hesitation, pressed the beeping button to accept the transmission. Eggman immediately began typing furiously on his keyboard, while Sonic smiled up at the live video playing before him.

"Hey there, Metal Sonic," the original hedgehog greeted his doppelganger with a friendly wave. Sonic was pleased to see that Metal Sonic was completely taken aback by his presence. The robot gaped unbelievingly at Sonic, clearly speechless. If he could display emotions, Metal Sonic would have a look of astonishment on his face right now.

"Sonic?" he finally said, once he'd found his voice; a voice laden with surprise and disbelief. "But how -?"

Sonic's grin widened even further. "Surprised to see me, Metal Mouth?" he taunted. "Bet you didn't think I'd get off that rock so quickly, eh?"

Metal Sonic seemed to regain his composure as he chuckled softly. "No, I guess I didn't," he confessed with amusement. The robot tilted his head sideways as he watched Sonic with interest. "So how exactly did you escape?"

"Easy. A little fairy came and whisked me off that island."

Metal Sonic did not reply, apparently too bewildered by Sonic's seemingly random answer to say anything. When he finally did speak, his voice was low and annoyed. "Even now, I can never understand what you mean by your stupid comments, Sonic."

Sonic smiled slyly. "And here I thought you'd be able to understand them perfectly. I mean, stupid _is _your primary language."

Out of sight of Metal Sonic, Eggman smacked a hand against his forehead at Sonic's comment.

However, Metal Sonic did not seem to register Sonic's quip (albeit a lame one), merely watching the blue ehdgehog with the same interested tilt of his head as before. Eventually, he spoke, and his next words made Sonic suspicious as to whether the robot had even heard his remark.

"Tell me, Sonic, did you enjoy your little trip on that island?" he sneered, voice dripping with derision.

Sonic grinned back just as mockingly. "Heck no! That Island Paradise was Hell on Earth! They didn't even have cable back there!"

Once again, Metal Sonic did not seem to pay any attention to Sonic's words, once more changing the subject randomly.

"I'll admit, Sonic, I'm a little disappointed that you've come back so early," he remarked with a hint of what sounded like regret in his voice. "I haven't yet prepared everything for your arrival, but I suppose we'll have to make do with what I have." He actually sighed at these words; or made his audio output simulate a sighing sound.

"Oh and, tell the Doctor he need not bother trying to trace this call."

Eggman froze at these words, looking over at the image of Metal Sonic on the monitor.

"Err," Sonic replied uncertainly, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at Eggman. Metal Sonic folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in what Sonic now realized was a throne-like chair.

"He need not bother tracing this call," the mechanical hedgehog repeated, "because I'm sending you my coordinates as we speak."

As those words left Metal Sonic's nonexistent mouth, a whirring sound could be heard from the computer. A moment later the aforementioned coordinates appeared on the computer screen next to the one with Metal Sonic on it. Sonic glanced at the destination numbers (which were basically gibberish to him), and then back at Metal Sonic.

"Err, thanks," he began dubiously. "But, why are you sending this to us?"

If Metal Sonic had a mouth, he would have been grinning maniacally now. "It's rather obvious, isn't it? I've given you my location so that you know where to find me. We can then settle this once and for all. However, I won't force you to come and confront me. Oh no. You're the one who gets to decide whether to come to your own death or not." Metal Sonic's eyes radiated brightly with their golden glow as soft cackle issued from him. "Until next we meet, Sonic the Hedgehog."

And with a louder maniacal chuckle, he disappeared as the screen went black from the transmission's termination.

Sonic looked over at Eggman. "Well, at least he's honest," he joked. "Though, he did seem a little out of it. You know, like he was kinda -." Here Sonic twirled his finger beside his temple in the gesture of "crazy". Or "cuckoo", as Sonic was most likely going for.

Eggman walked over to Sonic and examined the contents of Metal Sonic's message carefully. Behind the blue hedgehog and his arch-nemesis, the previously-departed members of the group returned to their side, also looking at Metal Sonic's message.

A grim smile slid onto his face under his moustaches. "That metal bastard," he murmured softly in amusement. Sonic looked at him quizzically. In a louder voice, Eggman continued, "He's hiding out in one of my own bases. It would explain how he managed to send a signal to all my headquarters." Eggman brought up a map of the area, on which a marker indicated Metal Sonic's location. "Eight miles west from Emerald Town: that's our destination."

He clicked a few more buttons, and an image of the building appeared on the screen. Judging by the trees and foliage around it, the base seemed to be situated in what looked like a forest. It looked, frankly, like a metal-plated replica of the White House, except it was much larger, about five times the latter's size to be precise. Not only that, but the dome had a large copy of Eggman's insignia branded over its curved surface. Plus, the White House didn't have high-tech security cannons perched on its roof. Neither did it have large brass-colored statues of Eggman erected by the entrance.

Rouge raised an eyebrow at Eggman. "Pretty ostentatious base you got there, Doctor," she observed. "How have you managed to keep it a secret for so long? Especially when it's so close to a city?"

"It's cloaked, my dear Rouge," Eggman replied proudly. "Holograms, radar jammers, and force fields make sure nothing comes close to my base without my consent."

"And Metal Sonic's in there?" Shadow remarked thoughtfully. "Won't he simply have the base's security system shoot us the moment we get close?"

"I'm sure we can take whatever he's got," Rouge stated confidently. She smirked at the black hedgehog. "Don't tell me you're scared or something?"

"I'm only mentioning this because it'll make it harder for us to sneak in," Shadow snapped back. "It would be a hindrance to our mission if Metal Sonic caught wind of it before we execute it."

Sonic wrapped an arm around the black hedgehog's shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Shadow!" he assured with his usual flippant attitude. "Metal Sonic's after my skin, so he won't let some security cannon take me out. I'll bet he's deactivated all the security systems so I can have a safe arrival there. "

Shadow frowned as he removed Sonic's arm from around his neck. "For my sake, I hope he hasn't."

Sonic grinned at his comment before turning to others and rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Alright then! Let's not keep our host waiting, guys!"

* * *

><p>Quiet. That was how the atmosphere in the room could best be described. The rectangular room, as large as a football stadium, had once been a command room. But now, it had been stripped of all its contents, and a large silver throne had been placed at the far end opposite the only door in the room. The few windows on the metal walls were positioned close to the high ceiling, shafts of sunlight falling into the room through their rectangular opening. The room was devoid of any soul, save the cobalt blue robot calmly seated upon the throne. The robot's "cheek" was resting against its right hand, which was propped up on the armrest. The other hand was impatiently tapping the other armrest with its five clawed digits. The mechanical hedgehog's gold eyes seemed lost as they gazed blankly at the ground.<p>

However, the metaphorical light returned to them when a sudden knock sounded loudly on the door opposite him.

With the air of a brave hero returning from a deadly battle, Sonic strutted into the room with his trademark grin of smugness plastered across his face. He waved casually at his metal counterpart.

"T'sup, Metal-Head!" he greeted amiably. "You wanted to see me?"

Metal Sonic did not reply, merely watching Sonic silently from his seat.

Sonic glanced around with an amused eye. "I see you're the kind of guy with simple tastes when it comes to décor," he observed humorously. He jerked a thumb back the way he came. "But that's no excuse for lousy security, bud. A baby could break in here without trouble."

Despite the fact that Sonic's words would normally have infuriated the mechanical hedgehog, Metal Sonic maintained his composure, not even so much as twitching as Sonic spoke. If it weren't for the fact that the robot's cold, empty eyes were glowing brightly, it might have been mistaken for a statue.

_Huh. Either he's not listening to a word I say, or he's been working on controlling his temper_, Sonic noted in interest.

At last, the mechanical hedgehog spoke.

"So you've finally come, Sonic," he commented calmly, leaning back in his seat and interlocking his fingers in front of himself. Sonic blinked in confusion. From Metal Sonic's tone, you might think that Sonic had just arrived and had yet to say anything at all. Hadn't the robot been paying attention?

"Well, you did indirectly invite me, so I felt it would be rude of me to decline your gracious offer," Sonic answered in a tone of mocking flattery. "I hope there's something good to eat, though. I'm starved."

Once again, Metal Sonic ignored Sonic's quip.

"Why did you come here, Sonic?" he asked randomly, watching the sapphire hedgehog curiously. Sonic blinked, stunned by the seemingly ridiculous question.

"Duh! To kick your butt, of course!" he answered with his self-assured grin.

"And?" Metal Sonic pressed inexplicably. Sonic eyed him in wonder.

"Well, I guess I'm also here to pay you back for leaving me on that rock," he added, grinning maliciously as he cracked his knuckles. "I didn't appreciate that, you know."

"Anything else?"

_The hell is he on about? _Sonic wondered, raising an eyebrow at his opponent's rather mysterious behavior. When Sonic didn't answer, Metal Sonic tilted his head forward and seemed to be smirking at his counterpart.

"Is that it?" he sneered. "Is that all you came to do? You didn't perhaps, come here for something else? Say, for instance, _to_ _save_ _your_ _friends_?"

His eyes flashed maliciously in victory when Sonic stiffened, the smile on the latter's face disappearing as he eyed the robot intently. Metal Sonic laughed softly.

"That got rid of your smile, didn't it?" he remarked malevolently. "Then how about this?"

He raised his right hand and snapped his finger. Immediately, there was a loud rumbling noise as the wall behind Metal Sonic's throne split across the middle and slid apart to reveal a secret room. It had most likely been a panic room once, but it too had been emptied of all its contents, left completely bare like the rest of the room.

But it was not empty.

Sonic's eyes widened as he stared at the three figures shackled to the wall; the small, yellow form of Tails, the scarlet, muscled figure that was Knuckles, and finally the petite, pink Amy. All three of them were bruised and looked worse for wear, but they were all definitely alive; unconscious, but alive.

A wave of immense relief spread through Sonic's body, followed by one of rage. He involuntarily took a step closer to the three, but did not do anything further. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on the seemingly amused Metal Sonic.

"Yes, they're still alive," he stated, as if he had read Sonic's mind. He rose to his feet, immediately levitating inches above the ground as he did so. He waved a hand lazily at the three wounded Mobians. "I had initially planned to kill them right away, but I felt you deserved to see them meet their end."

With a sinister chuckle, Metal Sonic floated over to the three, continuing to speak as he did so. "I'm glad you came, Sonic. I'm going to give you the honor of deciding _how _you're friends shall perish." He turned glowing optics of golden to Sonic. "So how should we do this, Sonic? Will it be swift and painless? Or -." His voice dropped to a slow, sinister pitch. "- will it be slow and torturous?"

Sonic growled, but said nothing.

No doubt amused and enjoying himself, Metal Sonic gestured lightly to his captives. "I'll even let you decide which one of them dies first," he continued, his tone as casual as if he were telling Sonic to choose which type of bread he wanted for his sandwich. "So who shall it be, Sonic?"

He suddenly pointed his bared palm at the fox to his left. "Will it be the fox cub: your closest friend, practically your brother?"

He then shifted his hand directly behind him, at Knuckles. "Or will it be your rival: the Guardian of The Master Emerald, the echidna?"

He lowered his left hand and aimed his right one at Amy now. "Or will it be your girlfriend: Amy Rose?"

Sonic cocked an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something. He closed it immediately, however, as if suddenly changing his mind. Metal Sonic did not notice this, for he was eyeing Amy with pensive interest.

"Amy Rose… I remember her well: she was one of the first people I ever kidnapped, as well as one of the first people you rescued from me. Since then, she's followed you around like a loyal puppy. You've become quite important to her, and she to you." He swung his face back to Sonic and titled his head at him pointedly. "Am I wrong?"

Still, Sonic did not reply, merely glaring at his metallic enemy. Noting his silence, Metal Sonic seemed to leer at him. "Oh? No clever comebacks? No jokes?" he teased sadistically, his arm still pointed at Amy's unconscious face. His eyes glowed once more, just as they seemed to be doing lately every time he prepared to do something "evil".

"Fine, then. If you can't decide, why don't we start with the person who's the least important to you?" he suggested cruelly.

No reply came from Sonic.

"So who is it, Sonic?" Metal Sonic pressed, his voice dripping with twisted pleasure. "Who of these three do you care the least about?" With a sudden click of moving mechanical parts, the robot swung his right arm to bring it directly in front of Knuckles' bruised face. "Is it the echidna? I would think a rival is far less important than a lover or a brother…"

He continued to patiently watch Sonic, who had now lowered his head to face the metal floor. The blue hedgehog's slackened posture seemed to indicate defeat, and the fact that he appeared to be avoiding eye contact with Metal Sonic further strengthened this impression. Metal Sonic laughed in pleasure.

"What's wrong, Sonic? Usually you're so talkative. Why the uncharacteristic silence, hmm?" he sneered wickedly. "Go on. Say something. Show me just how confident you are now!"

A cackle of insane pleasure erupted from Metal Sonic. Sonic slowly looked up at the laughing robot, waiting for him to finish. And when the robot did, he saw that, inexplicably, Sonic was smirking up at him.

"You know, Metal Sonic, this has been bugging me for a long time, but I finally think I've figured it out." The blue hedgehog suddenly sighed in exasperation, looking pityingly at the robot. "I've finally figured out _why_ Eggman never gave you a mouth or a voice chip. It's because when you can talk, you talk _waaay _too much!"

Silence.

"What?" Metal Sonic snapped furiously.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Dude, seriously, I've heard lots of my foes gloat before, but man! You just won't shut up, will you?" He threw his hands up in aggravation. "I mean, we get it already! You hate me, you want to kill me, you think you're better than me! Fine! Alright! We all understand that! So will you please just shut up and freakin' _do _something already?"

Metal Sonic's stared silently at Sonic, his eyes entire frame practically radiating with anger. If his face had been organic, one of his eyes would surely have been twitching in aggravation right now.

"Shut up and do something?" he repeated furiously, his voice also shaking with anger. "_Do_ something? You want me to just shut up and do something? FINE!" He brought his palm closer to Knuckles' vulnerable face, a glowing sphere of energy starting to encompass his hand. He swung his head back to Sonic, the golden eyes holding an insane glow in them.

"The echidna dies first! Swift and painless!" he spat in rage, his anger getting the better of him. "I'm going to blast this fool's head into smithereens, and after that -!"

Sonic suddenly raised a finger to interrupt Metal Sonic. "Oh, and, before you go ahead and have a mental breakdown, there's one more thing I need to say," he remarked casually. A triumphant grin spread across his face suddenly. "You're also _very _easy to distract."

Metal Sonic stared at him in confused rage.

"What?"

And then a beam of cyan energy struck him in the back.


	28. Chapter 27: Operation Leech

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27: Operation Leech<strong>

"Arrggh!" Metal Sonic howled as the energy from the beam spread around his body to cover him in a pulsating, pale blue aura. He swung flaming gold eyes in the direction from which the beam of energy originated, and froze. A black and red hedgehog stood behind him, his arms pointing a long red gun at the machine. The steady beam of energy was originating from the gun's barrel.

"You!" Metal Sonic growled in both surprise and outrage as he glared at Shadow. He attempted to launch an attack at the ebony hedgehog, but to his surprise he found his movements to have become horridly sluggish and restricted. Not only that, but he felt as if something inside him was being forcefully wrenched out of his body. He had barely raised his hand to point it at Shadow when another beam of energy struck him in the back once more.

Lurching forward with another cry, Metal Sonic glanced over his shoulder. This time, it was a white bat that was aiming her gun at him from overhead.

"You as well?" Metal Sonic raged, glaring at both Shadow and Rouge in turn, his body facing the three captives hanging from the wall and his back turned to Sonic. Metal Sonic hissed loudly at the two GUN agents. "You cretins! How dare you -!"

His words were silenced as a third energy beam struck him in his still-vulnerable back, this time knocking him down onto one knee. Growling in fury, Metal Sonic looked behind himself for the third time. Doctor Eggman stood there this time.

"Now now, if those two are cretins, what would you call me?" he asked slyly with a smirk.

"Eggman," Metal Sonic hissed in a voice laden with hatred, shooting a murderous glare at the fat man. Eggman shook his head in disappointment.

"Now see, that's not an insult, Metal Sonic," the Doctor remarked. Metal Sonic tried to lunge at the Doctor, but he could not even stand up properly anymore. If one Egg Drainer could restrict his movements so well, it didn't take an active imagination to guess how great an effect three of them would have.

Sonic grinned at the sight. "Very easy to distract," he repeated with a laugh as a memory floated up from the depths of his mind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Earlier…<strong>_

"_Alright, they're finally ready," Eggman declared as he handed out the Egg Drainers to his four "comrades". He picked up his own gun and cocked it, looking down at the four. "We have the weapons, and we have Metal Sonic's location; all we have to do now is execute our plan."_

_As Shadow studied his weapon, he voiced something that had been on his mind for some time. "Using these on Metal Sonic will not be easy. He won't just let us waltz up to him and start firing them at him." He looked at the others. "We need some way to sneak up on him and use these without his noticing."_

"_I recommend a diversion," Omega put forth loudly. "Someone needs to distract Metal Sonic whilst the others get into position to execute our plan."_

_Sonic grinned. "Well, if we need to distract Metal Sonic, who better to use than the person Metal Sonic hates most in the world?" He pointed to himself. "I'll handle the distracting; you guys just make sure you do your part in the plan."_

_The others nodded in understanding, excluding Omega, who of course couldn't due to not having a neck._

* * *

><p>"Too easy!" Sonic stated as he ran over to his shackled friends whiste the others kept Metal Sonic occupied. Once he reached them, Sonic grabbed the chains holding Tails up and tugged at them, but as he feared, they were too strong. He grabbed the cuffs around the fox's wrists and tried to pull them open, but no dice. Frowning, Sonic stepped back and looked at each of them in turn, doing his best to ignore Metal Sonic's raging behind him.<p>

_How the heck do I get these guys free? _Sonic was wondering, when he suddenly heard a clicking sound behind. He narrowed his eyes but did not turn around, too busy trying to recall what the noise reminded him of. It sounded a lot like…

_Oh crap._

Eyes widening, Sonic ducked just in time as six bullets flew over him and hit the chains where they met the wall. The three unconscious Mobians fell to the ground, no longer bound to the wall, though the shackles and the connecting chains were still on their wrists. Frowning, Sonic rose to his feet and turned around to glare intently at the crimson robot.

"What the hell, man?" Sonic exclaimed as Omega retracted the machine gun that had replaced his hand. "You could've warned me first, you know!"

"You are welcome," Omega answered, actually managing to sound sarcastic. A compartment in the robot's chest suddenly slid open and he reached inside it, pulling out three of the red Egg Drainers. "Take these," he ordered blandly as he tossed the firearms to Sonic.

The blue hedgehog scrambled comically to catch them all in his arms. He looked down at them, and then up at Omega. "I give up. What am I supposed to do with these?" he asked blankly.

"Eggman and his robots cannot be trusted to complete this task," Omega stated in an emotionless voice. He pointed a clawed index at the three Mobians behind Sonic. "You must rely on your friends to succeed."

Sonic stared at the robot perplexedly. Was the robot implying that he thought Eggman was up to something, or might try to stab them in the back when things looked better for him? Now that Sonic thought about it, it _did _seem like something the Doctor would do. What was to stop Eggman from simply absorbing the energy they siphoned out of Metal Sonic into himself? What was to stop Eggman from using his Egg Drainers for the very purpose he had built them for: to drain the Chaos Energy from his Super-powered opponent and then use it for himself? He could be preparing to turn this partnership into a betrayal at any moment.

If you thought about it like that, then Omega's suspicions would seem perfectly logical. However, given the situation, Sonic was not about to start doubting Eggman's loyalty. They needed the Doctor's help, and the Doctor theirs. Sonic was willing to place his trust in Eggman for the moment. After all, he had helped them get out much worse situations.

But clearly, Omega's animosity towards the Doctor meant he wasn't willing to trust him even a little. Most likely he had prepared himself for what he assumed to be an inevitable betrayal from Eggman.

_I guess that's why I can't see any of Eggman's robots anywhere_, Sonic realized, glancing around momentarily at the large room, in which the only mechanical entities where Omega and the tantrum-throwing Metal Sonic. No Eggman robots were in sight; well, not any which still worked for him. Odd, really, since Sonic had seen the three robots in person before he had departed ahead of the others for this facility. Seeing as Omega was in possession of the guns which the robots had been given, and the fact that Omega had been the last one to enter the room, Sonic had a strong suspicion that Eggman's robots were currently lying outside the building in a broken heap. In other words, they were no longer an option for helping them beat Metal Sonic.

With the robots out of the fight, this meant that Sonic had no choice but to offer the three guns to his captured friends. Shaking his head disapprovingly at Omega, Sonic then glanced at his unconscious friends. "If I can't wake these guys up, we're all screwed," he stated grimly to the crimson machine. "And just so you know, it'll all be your fault."

Depositing the guns on the floor, Sonic bent down beside his knocked out comrades and attempted to revive them. Omega, seeming to ignore Sonic's bitter comment, turned away from the blue hedgehog and pulled out his own Egg Drainer before hurrying over to Metal Sonic. He took aim, and fired his own beam of energy at the struggling blue robot. For a change, the shot struck Metal Sonic in the chest this time.

"GAAAAHHHH!" Metal Sonic howled as the energy enveloped him just like the last three times. And just as before, he glared up through fiery eyes at Omega.

"Insolent piece of junk!" he shouted at Omega. "You rebelled against Eggman, yet now you side with him and the rest of these pathetic fleshlings? Have you no pride?"

Omega did not seem affected by Metal Sonic's aggressive tone, instead replying in a composed and collected voice. "Metal Sonic, I commend you for freeing yourself from Doctor Eggman's tyranny," he admitted. "However, you cannot be allowed to bring harm to this world. You must be stopped."

Metal Sonic growled loudly at Omega's matter-of-fact words. "You will suffer for this, just like the others!" he spat angrily. "I will tear out your power source and leave you to rust, E-123 Omega! I swear it..."

In response, Omega simply tightened his finger on the trigger of his weapon, increasing the intensity of the energy it was releasing, and subsequently the amount that was engulfing Metal Sonic. The mechanical hedgehog hissed in anger.

"Guys, wake up!" Sonic called anxiously, shaking his unconscious friends violently. "C'mon, guys! We need your help!"

Slowly, one by one, the three Mobians opened their eyes. The first was Tails, who looked around with dazed eyes before catching sight of Sonic sitting right in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise. "Sonic! You're okay!" he said in relief.

Next to wake up was Amy, who blinked and held her head with one hand as she sat up; a soft groan came from her mouth, as if her entire body hurt (which, thanks to Metal Sonic's abusive actions, it did). She then noticed Sonic beside her, and immediately forgetting her pain, she lunged at her hero with a cry of delight, hugging him tightly and sobbing happily into his chest.

"Sonic! You're alive!" she cried into his chest. "Oh thank goodness! I was so worried!"

Sonic flinched and rolled his eyes, gently prying Amy off him. "Not now, Amy!" he cried in exasperation, looking down irritably at his tear-stained chest. He then noticed that Knuckles had also awoken, and was looking at him approvingly.

"Glad to see you aren't dead," Knuckles remarked in a slightly weak voice, smiling.

"Likewise, man." Sonic grinned back at all three of them, and then reached behind him for the three Egg Drainers. "I know you guys are probably too weak to fight, but we need your help right now. Take these." He gave each of them one of the crimson guns.

Tails looked down at it in puzzlement. "What are we supposed to do with these?" he asked blankly.

Sonic pointed at Metal Sonic, whose presence the three injured Mobians had yet to notice. "Just point it at Metal Sonic and pull the trigger," he answered quickly. Tails, Knuckles, and Amy looked up at the event that was occurring before them, and then nodded their heads in understanding. The four Mobians rose to their feet and hurried over to the weakening Metal Sonic.

Together, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy aimed their guns at an unsuspecting Metal Sonic and pulled the triggers. Three beams of energy shot out of the guns and struck Metal Sonic from the same side. The robot howled for a fifth time and swung his head to face the three escaped Mobians.

"You three as well?" he demanded angrily. "I should have killed you when I had the chan - AAARRRRGGGHH!"

Metal Sonic suddenly writhed in apparent pain, his entire body trembling visibly as he clutched his head with unsteady hands, screaming at the top of his nonexistent lungs. All of a sudden, his arms were pulled away from his head, spreading wide behind him as if they were attached to chains: chains which all seven of his opponents seemed to be forcefully pulling at. His legs suddenly became heavy and immobile, as if they too were bound by these chains. Then, the cyan aura around him began to expand, a large bubble of energy sprouting above him; a pulsating bubble that was glowing sequentially with all the colors of the seven Chaos Emeralds.

"Wha-what's happening to me?" Metal Sonic groaned in a lethargic voice, the golden glow of his eyes flickering on and off erratically.

"It's working!" Eggman shouted to the others as Metal Sonic's struggling alleviated. "Keep it up! Don't stop now!" He then turned to Sonic. "Sonic, you're up! Get going!"

The blue hedgehog grinned and sidled up to stand directly opposite Metal Sonic. "Time for me to work my magic!" he declared confidently, spreading his arms and legs. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, allowing an expression of strong concentration to spread across his facial features.

As the blue hedgehog began focusing, the bubble of Chaos Energy above Metal Sonic suddenly throbbed violently. A thread-like extension stretched out from the bubble's surface and began to flow towards Sonic in a serpentine manner. It circled above him in a vaporous state before slowly beginning to form the same type of bubble of energy that was present above the mechanical hedgehog.

_That'll be the Emeralds' energy that we're destabilizing_, Shadow observed contently. _Keep at it, Sonic. It's up to you now._

Each of the Mobians, as well as the crimson robot Omega, had their eyes locked on this amazing sight. Eggman seemed more focused on the situation at hand, but the smile on his face showed that he too was pleased with this phenonmenon. The two multi-colored spheres were each five feet in diameter, and rotating slowly about their vertical axis. With the systematic alternation in their coloring, as well as the way in which the colors slid from one sphere to another via the thread connecting them, the two glowing spheres would normally be a pleasant sight to behold; if the current situation wasn't so dire, that is.

Metal Sonic turned to look at Sonic, his head moving with such difficulty that one might assume it weighed hundreds of tonnes. His flickering eyes seemed to narrow in rage as he finally realized what was happening.

"Trying to drain my energy?" he cried furiously, his entire body emanating with waves of hatred. He clenched his fists tightly.

"No!" he exclaimed vehemently, struggling against his invisible bonds. "I will not - give up - this power!"

With each fragmented set of words, he tugged at his imaginary chains; but he was far too weak now, and the "chains" were too strong. Try as he might, each of his yanks was fruitless and yielded no result. But with each failed tug, his resolve only seemed to grow stronger, and he persisted in his struggling in spite of its futility.

But his stubbornness began to pay off: to everyone's surprise, his arms and legs began to slowly and torturously shift forward. Grunting, Metal Sonic struggled violently, attempting to pull his arms closer to his body, as if aiming to snap whatever bonds held him in place. Through sheer willpower, the mechanical hedgehog lifted one leg and planted it forward on the ground, and then the other, slowly trying to get closer to Sonic.

"He's fighting it!" Rouge shouted in momentary panic. "What do we do?"

Eggman called out in assurance, "Don't loosen your grip now! Keep at it! We've almost got him!"

"Hrraaah!" Metal Sonic grunted violently.

_What willpower_, Shadow noted in awe as he watched Metal Sonic struggling to break free of his immobility, and slowly appearing to succeed. Shadow's eyes slid away from Metal Sonic and up to the blob of Chaos Energy floating over the machine. The strand that had extended between Sonic and Metal Sonic's spheres was still present; it did not seem like Metal Sonic was managing to draw his energy back inside him. Sonic was clearly succeeding in his role; and therefore so must the rest of them. For the blue hedgehog to keep drawing out Metal Sonic's power, the rest of them had to maintain the stream of siphoning energy from their Egg Drainers. This was their only chance, the only plan they had to beat Metal Sonic; and they sure as hell weren't going to lose.

Gritting his teeth, Shadow tightened his finger around his Egg Drainer's trigger, increasing the output. Around him, the others were doing the same, the same looks of determination covering their faces. Even the faceless Omega seemed to be brimming with hardened resolve.

_This has to work_, Shadow thought resolutely. _We have to succeed. We _can_ stop him!_

And it seemed they could. With a groan, Metal Sonic suddenly collapsed to his knees, looking exhausted and completely drained of energy (metaphorically speaking). The light in his optics was flickering once more, going on and off erratically. He swayed slightly from side to side as if drunk or disoriented, his posture sagging and his head bowed. Shadow smirked at the mechanical hedgehog, noting that similar looks of satisfaction and delight were spreading across his comrades' faces.

_This is the end_, the black hedgehog thought triumphantly. _You've reached your limit, Metal Sonic._

"My… power…," the metal hedgehog mumbled vaguely. "I can't… feel it… what have you… my…"

Slowly, lethargically, Metal Sonic raised his head and peered up at Sonic, who stood a mere four feet away from him. Yet the robot did not seem to have the strength or the will to cover such a small distance. He merely remained on his knees on the floor, gazing blankly at his organic counterpart. The blue hedgehog's eyes were still closed tight and he seemed unaware of what was happening right in front of him; but as Metal Sonic watched, a triumphant grin spread across his organic counterpart's mouth.

"NO!"

Metal Sonic's eyes suddenly glowed brightly. He roared in rage and struggled back to his feet, catching everyone off-guard at his revived resolve. "NO!" he roared once again, fighting once more against his immobilization. "I will not - let you -!"

_Damn, not again! _Shadow thought in exasperation, wondering how the robot could be so damned determined. He tightened his grip on the Egg Drainer's trigger, an action that was mimicked wordlessly by the other six wielders. Seven beams of energy intensified in power as they fired at Metal Sonic, their cyan glow almost blinding to the eyes now. But to Shadow and everyone else's dismay, Metal Sonic's rekindled resolve was much stronger than before. As they watched fearfully, Metal Sonic slowly inched his arms closer to his chest, crossing them over his upper torso in an X-shape.

"Let me - show you -!" he continued stubbornly, resisting violently, "- just - what - I'm… MADE OOOFF!"

And with that final exclamation, he flung his arms apart and unleashed a burst of Chaos Energy from his body. The cyan aura around him turned bright gold before exploding outwards. Before any of the eight could react, the wave struck and pushed them all away from the blue robot. Seven fingers involuntarily released their hold on the triggers of the Egg Drainers, and immediately the seven beams of energy connected to Metal Sonic, along with the cyan aura that had been covering him, vanished into nothingness.

But worst of all, the moment Sonic was knocked back, the collection of Chaos Energy above his head dispersed and vanished from sight; the same occurred to the sphere above Metal Sonic.

The mechanical hedgehog snarled audibly before he furiously swung an arm upwards through the air; as one, all seven Egg Drainers lifted into the air and flew across the room towards him. The seven crimson guns came to an immediate stop, hovering above the robot's head. Keeping the weapons aloft in the air with one hand, Metal Sonic growled in anger and suddenly clenched said hand. The seven guns instantly crumpled and shattered into little pieces, their remnants dropping to the metal floor with a shower of clanging metal.

Eggman's moustaches actually drooped downwards at the sight. "No," he whispered in horror, staring hopelessly at his destroyed inventions, and his destroyed plan.

Eyes radiating brightly once more, Metal Sonic threw back his head and laughed maniacally, his arms raised slightly in the air. He swung his head around, gazing in apparent mockery at his disoriented opponents.

"Ahahahahah! Where's your plan now, Eggman? Sonic?" he taunted victoriously, laughing maliciously at the two mentioned characters. Sonic winced with pain and frowned at Metal Sonic, green eyes narrowed.

"And now, you shall all die," Metal Sonic stated matter-of-factly as his arms dropped to his sides. He then slowly brought them to his chest and folded them in the same X-shape as before.

Shadow propped himself up on an elbow, blinking and trying to steady his discombobulated mind. He peered up at Metal Sonic, and instantly realized what the robot was planning to do. His heart dropped at the sight of position he had adopted: he knew that pose all too well.

"Everyone, move!" Shadow shouted to others, trying to quickly rise to his feet. However, he and the others were still too disoriented by Metal Sonic's earlier attack to be able to move about yet. They all tried to stand up, but their legs refused to hold their weight; and that was unfortunate for them, because at that very moment -.

"Chaos -," Metal Sonic began slowly, dragging out the single word slowly and sinisterly. An aura of crimson Chaos Energy began to surround his body, and his luminous optics flickered brightly for a moment.

_Damn it_, cursed Shadow with a grimace.

"- BLAAAAAST!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Did everyone catch the song references? Good.


	29. Chapter 28: Unhinged and Unstable

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28: Unhinged and Unstable<strong>

"Chaos… BLAAAAAST!"

The red aura around Metal Sonic abruptly expanded outwards, pushing everything in its path back. The force of blast struck the robot's eight adversaries, painfully knocking them all into the air. But it didn't stop there. The blast continued to expand rapidly, paving a crater in the ground and breaking through the walls and ceiling. Debris and rubble rained down around Metal Sonic and on his opponents. The falling debris uplifted clouds of dust into the air upon impact with the floor, blinding the vision of all those present. When the cloud of dust finally cleared, Metal Sonic stood atop a floor of rubble, laughing hysterically.

"The power!" he exclaimed gleefully, staring down at his hands with an imaginary grin of admiration. "I feel invincible! Nothing can stop me now! Ahahahahah!" With another bout of maniacal laughter, Metal Sonic glanced around him at the wreckage.

"Oh, Sooniic! Where are you?" he called out playfully. "Don't tell me a little blast like that was enough to kill you? Hah! Come out, come out, little hedgehog! The game's not over yet!"

The shifting of rocks to his right drew his attention as the blue hedgehog emerged from under the rubble, clutching his left arm with the other and grimacing in pain. Metal Sonic leered at his counterpart.

"There you are," he remarked in sadistic pleasure, taking a step closer to Sonic. He then spotted the rest of Sonic's friends climbing out from under the rubble.

Eggman could be seen weakly pulling himself out from under the rubble beside Sonic, his forehead bleeding slightly and his arm apparently broken; however, the Doctor seemed able to withstand the pain, for he was busy glaring at Metal Sonic with gritted teeth. With his current injuries, the Doctor was clearly "disqualified" from this battle; not that he could have done much before that.

A short distance away, Knuckles was tossing aside the boulder he had been holding up over his head, the two crouched forms of Amy and Tails cowering behind him with hands clutching their bowed heads. The pink and yellow Mobians looked up as the red one chucked the boulder away.

"You guys okay?" Knuckles asked as he turned to Amy and Tails.

"Yeah," Tails replied breathlessly, glancing over at Metal Sonic. Amy, however, shook her head and groaned slightly.

"I'm not," she answered, pressing a trembling hand against her head. "My whole body feels like it's broken; and I'm sure it is." She raised glaring green eyes at the mechanical hedgehog. "Metal Sonic nearly banged the crap out of me earlier."

"Then you should stay out of this fight, Amy," Knuckles advised sympathetically. "You're in no fit condition to go up against Metal Sonic." The echidna turned to Tails. "You too, Tails. Stay back with Amy."

Tails opened his mouth to protest, but closed it a second later, knowing that Knuckles was right. As Knuckles turned away to face Metal Sonic, Tails helped Amy rise to her feet and supported her as they trudged away from the soon-to-come battle.

Meanwhile, Omega was uncrossing the arms he'd folded over Rouge to protect her from the falling debris.

"Thanks, Omega," Rouge said in gratitude to the robot. Omega straightened up his body, causing the dust and smaller debris to slide off his back and onto the ground.

"Comrade protected," Omega announced in an actual tone of relief.

"Wait, what about Shadow?" Rouge asked, suddenly realizing that her black ally had yet to emerge from the rubble. Her query was answered when a pile of rubble behind Sonic and Eggman was suddenly kicked into the air and a grumbling Shadow surfaced, his dark fur matted in dust but otherwise unharmed.

Metal Sonic laughed and waved a hand at the emerging people. "It looks like you're friends survived, too, Sonic!" he remarked in amazement. "How fortunate for me!" His booming voice changed abruptly from amused to psychotic as he clenched a hand into a fist. "This way I can kill you and all your friends together! Ahahahahah!"

Despite the discomfort he was in, Sonic managed an expression of amused surprise. "Kill me?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow at his metal counterpart. "Whatever happened to prolonging my existence and making me suffer till I begged for death?"

Metal Sonic's eyes gleamed brightly and he swiped his arm horizontally in a gesture of rejection. "That no longer matters to me!" he bellowed loudly, his fictional mouth grinning insanely. "All of you, you're all going to die here! And then, the rest of this world shall follow!"

He gave another psychotic laugh, actually throwing his head back and arching his upper body backwards as he did so. His strange behavior shocked and confused Sonic, who had never seen Metal Sonic act so oddly; or never even thought it possible for him to act so oddly.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?" Sonic asked incredulously, glancing beside him at Eggman. The bald man frowned at Metal Sonic.

"I was worried this might happen," he remarked gloomily. "The Chaos Energy is affecting Metal Sonic's logic chips. It's infecting his mind. Even if he's absorbed the data of Chaos and Shadow, his actual body is not fit to hold such power within him. The Chaos Energy is causing him to act psychotically, even more than usual. He's losing his mind and sense of reasoning."

Sonic scrunched up his eyebrows in recollection. "I noticed that he seemed a little off lately," he told the Doctor. "There were often times where he would just ignore what I said, as if I'd never actually said anything to begin with. He always seemed lost in his own little world each time."

Eggman nodded in understanding, but before he could say anything further, something began to happen by the cackling robot before them. A five-foot wide sphere of energy was materializing above his head, a sphere glowing with seven different colors; red, dark blue, cyan, purple, yellow, white, and green. Every pair of eyes locked onto Metal Sonic and the odd phenomenon occurring over him. The sphere was exactly like the one that had formed when all seven Egg Drainers had been turned on Metal Sonic.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Isn't that -?" he began, only to have someone answer his unfinished question.

"Chaos Energy," Shadow stated calmly, walking up to Sonic and Eggman while watching Metal Sonic intently. "That's a sphere of Chaos Energy."

Eggman's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "This isn't good," he whispered in a grim tone. He turned a worried face to the puzzled pair of hedgehogs. "It seems that Metal Sonic hasn't properly re-absorbed the Chaos Energy we siphoned out of him earlier. That's what we're seeing right now. However, given enough time, all the energy _will_ return to his body."

He turned back to face Metal Sonic, who did not seem to notice the collection of energy above his head; or anything else for that matter. He appeared to be too occupied with laughing his head off at God-knows-what. It was, truth be told, a rather disturbing sight to behold.

"And what's wrong with that, Doc?" Sonic asked confusedly. "Aside from, you know, the fact that Metal Sonic gets all his strength back?"

Eggman frowned. "The problem is that the energy we pulled out is highly unstable now," he answered worriedly. "It has nothing to contain it; nothing's controlling it. The Chaos Energy he is absorbing back within himself is too erratic, too spontaneous. Not only that, but as Metal Sonic interrupted our leeching process before it was completed, the energy inside him is also highly unstable. It's no doubt the reason why he's suddenly lost his mind."

"I still don't see what the problem is," Sonic stated, starting to get annoyed by the Doctor's ambiguous words. An equally annoyed Eggman sighed impatiently.

"How stupid are you? Don't you realize what I'm saying? Metal Sonic may not have absorbed all that unstable energy back into his body _yet_, but if - _when _- he does, then it will begin combining with the equally unstable energy within his body; the energy within his very atoms. And when something is destabilized, it always seeks a way to stabilize itself. Which means the Chaos Energy in his body will need an outlet, a way to release the excess amount gathering together. In other words, it will attempt to forcefully exit Metal Sonic's body, thereby destroying him in the process."

Sonic blinked. "Okay. So Metal Sonic destroys himself without us doing anything. Why's that so bad?"

Eggman looked at Sonic hopelessly. An equally frustrated Shadow smacked his hand against Sonic's head in aggravation.

"You idiot. Can't you understand what the Doctor is saying?" he demanded irritably, pointing a finger at the inattentive (and ecstatic) Metal Sonic. "If that much Chaos Energy tries to expel itself from Metal Sonic's body all at once, the result will be catastrophic. That much unstable energy, released all at once: it could wipe a good majority of this island off the face of this planet. Maybe even all of it."

"It might even destroy the entire planet," Eggman added seriously. "The Super Form requires an unbelievable amount of power and energy to function. Such a tremendous amount could possibly obliterate a whole planet."

A tense silence followed this latest piece of information. Sonic frowned and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"So it's another doomsday situation," he remarked irritably. He sighed and looked at Eggman and Shadow. "Don't you two ever have any good news?"

Eggman shrugged. "Well, if Metal Sonic does explode, then at this range, we'll all be dead before the planet explodes," he put forth. Sonic sighed.

"I guess I'll take that."

All of a sudden, Metal Sonic ceased his seemingly incessant laughter and raised his arms into the air. A crackling sphere of black energy materialized above him, pulsating in alteration with the throbbing of the collection of unabsorbed Chaos Energy beside it. Almost immediately, Metal Sonic resumed his insane cackling, face turned upwards at the two throbbing spheres.

"That's a Chaos Bomb," Shadow informed the stunned Sonic and Eggman grimly, instinctively bracing himself. "He's probably trying to finish us all in one strike."

"Well, this whole issue just keeps getting worse," Eggman murmured glumly before turning towards Sonic and Shadow. "Obviously, we have to stop Metal Sonic before the accumulation of unstable energy becomes too much for his frame to handle."

With a nod, Sonic quickly rose to his feet with strengthened determination. "So we take him down before he blows up the planet," the blue hedgehog stated confidently. "Got it, Doc. You go tell the others what's up. I'll handle Metal Sonic."

"You won't be doing it alone," Shadow spoke up, standing beside Sonic and fixing his gloves. He smirked at the blue hedgehog. "I need to repay your doppelganger for trapping me on that island, after all."

Sonic grinned. "Same here."

Eggman informed authoritatively, "The only chance we have right now is for all of you to get Metal Sonic to stabilize himself. You'll have to force him into attacking you and thus expending his energy. If all goes well he'll expel the unstable energy in smaller, less critical amounts. Hopefully, the remaining energy within him will then stabilize itself from the forced expenditure."

"And then what?" Sonic inquired, eyebrow raised expectantly at the Doctor.

Eggman spread his arms with a clueless air. "Then we'll have to figure out a way to beat him. Whatever the case, if Metal Sonic's instability isn't resolved right now, we're all doomed."

Sonic nodded and gave Eggman a thumbs-up. "Alright, leave it to us, Eggman! We'll calm Metal Sonic down. You just figure out a way for us to beat this guy!"

"And therefore get us out of this mess you've created," Shadow added nastily.

"Oooh, burn!" Sonic laughed.

Eggman frowned and turned away, hurrying over to the others to convey the plan to them. The blue hedgehog and his darker ally, meanwhile, turned to face the cackling Metal Sonic. The sphere above him was growing larger and larger; the frequency at which it was throbbing slowly increasing. As they watched, they saw the sphere of unstable Chaos Energy shift closer to the Chaos Bomb, and meld with it.

Seeing this, the two hedgehogs glanced at each other. They nodded simultaneously before dashing at Metal Sonic in unison.

The robotic hedgehog instantly noticed the organic hedgehogs rushing at him. His laughter came to an abrupt halt as he lowered his golden eyes to glare at the approaching Mobians. Growling, he swung one arm down to point it at them. The black orb above his head pulsated before a barrage of tennis ball-sized spheres shot towards Sonic and Shadow from its surface. The two hedgehogs weaved to the side and out the bullets' path. Metal Sonic growled once more and sent another wave at them, but as the two had scattered, he could only target one with the sphere now. Therefore, as the shots flew toward Shadow, Metal Sonic simulateneously launched a trio of Chaos Spears at Sonic. The Blue Blur just managed to dodge them, with a smug grin spread across his face; on the other side, Shadow was also evading the shots being launched at him by the sphere.

Slowly becoming more infuriated at the lack of successful hits, Metal Sonic plunged his hands upwards into the sphere. With a grunt, he pulled his arms apart and split the Chaos Bomb in two. The separated pieces immediately sublimated around the robot's hands, forming a swirling mass of radiating Chaos Energy around each one.

With a loud battle cry, Metal Sonic swung his illuminated hands at each of the two hedgehogs. Beams of energy shot out of his palms and at Sonic and Shadow, slicing through the metal debris underfoot like effortlessly. The beams were fast, but not fast enough to catch up with the two supersonic hedgehogs. Both Sonic and Shadow maneuvered around the beams, their greater speed and agility aiding them in accomplishing this task without difficulty.

Snarling in anger at another failure, Metal Sonic then launched a barrage of Chaos Spears into the air and had it rain down on Shadow and Sonic, but yet again his attacks missed. The two hedgehogs were literally running circles around the third hedgehog now, their success at evading all his attacks only infuriating him further.

_Why can't I hit them? _Metal Sonic raged as he fired another wave of Chaos Spears. Just as before, the blue and black hedgehogs avoided his attack unscathed.

_His attacks are slower, more erratic_, Shadow observed.

_He's not thinking straight_, Sonic noted. _Looks like his senses really are clouded._

_As the Doctor said, the Chaos Energy is affecting his mind._

_Which is making it harder for him to focus enough to hit us. _

Had Metal Sonic been of sound mind, he would have realized that his "inaccuracy" was not due to Sonic and Shadow's performance suddenly improving, but due to his own power having weakened from the Eggman's cunning plan. Having lost nearly half of his power and left with a highly unstable and difficult-to-control reserve, Metal Sonic was no longer as powerful as he had been initially when he'd first absorbed the Chaos Emeralds; and both Sonic and Shadow knew this.

However, that did not mean that Metal Sonic was beatable yet.

"Argh! Stand still, you worms!" he snarled, raising his arm into the air. The clawed hand at the end was suddenly enveloped in an aura of crackling, lightning-like energy before the robot slammed it down onto the ground.

The Chaos Energy sparked out of his hand and spread around him, immediately uplifting the majority of debris surrounding him. Rubble rose up and formed a circular boundary around Metal Sonic; at the same time, the shockwave from the robot's palm-slam had knocked both Sonic and Shadow back into the air. With grunts of surprise the two hedgehogs flew over and vanished behind the "wall" that had formed around their adversary. Metal Sonic straightened up, and with a swing of his arm, dismantled the boundary surrounding him. He then glanced around furiously for his adversaries.

"Where are you?" he bellowed, golden optics flitting around for any sign of Sonic or Shadow. They seemed to be hiding somewhere amongst the rubble, for he could not see them anywhere. A much saner and sensible Metal Sonic would have pinpointed their location using the many gadgets and programs integrated within his structure; however, the currently deranged Metal Sonic had completely forgotten about them. Not that it would have helped if he had remembered: the unstable Chaos Energy within him was starting to have its effect on his functioning. A good many of his computer systems were already inactive and malfunctioning, but he was too far gone to notice. Really, all that Metal Sonic seemed to care about right now were Sonic and Shadow.

_Bonk!_

A rock suddenly hit Metal Sonic on the back of his head. Caught off-guard, the metal hedgehog stumbled forward.

_What the -? _he thought, before another stone struck him once more on the head. Immediately, more stones came flying at him; each hit their intended marks, this time on both his back and head. Snarling in anger, Metal Sonic wheeled around to find Tails standing a safe distance (or what appeared to be a safe distance) away from the robotic hedgehog. Beside the young fox lay a smile pile of collected rocks, which he was busying chucking at Metal Sonic with a determined face.

"Little pest!" Metal Sonic growled, completely forgetting about the two male hedgehogs he'd been fighting, and instead advancing towards the younger Mobian.

Just as he took a step forward, something came flying at him from his blind spot. A tapering missile slammed into the robot, exploding on impact in a fiery inferno. Nearby, Omega lowered his rocket-launcher-turned arm and waited patiently. As the crimson robot expected, when the smoke from the blast cleared, Metal Sonic stood calmly before him, completely unharmed by the attack.

Metal Sonic chuckled vainly at Omega. "Pathetic! You think you're puny weapons can harm _me_?" he scoffed, directing his attention from the yellow fox to the crimson robot. He raised a hand to eye-level and clenched it into a fist. "You're no match for me, E-123 Omega!"

In response to this confident statement, Omega whipped out his machine guns and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the metal hedgehog. Metal Sonic simply snorted in contempt before easily evading the shots, strafing to the side and circling the firing robot. Omega turned his upper torso around on its rotatable base, keeping his sights locked on Metal Sonic as he showered him with bullets.

With a sudden laugh, Metal Sonic lunged at Omega without warning, leading with his right hand aimed at the latter's chest. However, the E-Series robot activated his jet boosters and slid out of the way of Metal Sonic's charge just in time. Metal Sonic came to halt and turned to face his fellow robot, cackling appreciatively. It was clear that he was merely toying with the robot right now.

Unfazed by his opponent's confidence, Omega equipped his flamethrowers and released a spurt of orange flames at his opponent. Metal Sonic simply jumped out of the way, raising his hand and firing a Chaos Spear at Omega. Omega side-stepped the attack just in time, causing it to fly past his shoulder and miss him by a hair. Metal Sonic once more rushed the robot, his laughter alluding to the fact that he was enjoying himself. Omega maintained his footing and switched back to his machine guns before firing another round of bullets Metal Sonic's way. However, the blue robot simply weaved around the shots effortlessly and continued approaching Omega.

The larger robot began backing away slowly, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to hold Metal Sonic back, but it was too late. The mechanical hedgehog appeared right in front of the crimson robot's face and slammed his leg into the latter's broad chest. With a clang of metal hitting metal, Omega was thrown off his feet and flew back through the air, crashing into a conveniently-placed slab of metal in his path.

Metal Sonic landed on the ground and laughed boastingly. "Hah! Worthless!" he shot degradingly at Omega. "You're nothing but a pile of scrap! _I _am the Ultimate Robot, E-123 Ome-!"

"Hey!"

Metal Sonic turned his head back to instinctively to face the owner of the voice, only to have a white glove smash into his face and swing it the other way. The red echidna winced with pain, holding his throbbing hand as he glanced down at the broken spikes on his gloves.

_Man, is his head strong! _he thought both admiringly and irritably.

Metal Sonic, however, was far less injured (and amused) than Knuckles. Metallic face still turned away, he growled audibly; he then curled a hand into a fist and brought it swinging unexpectedly into Knuckles' gut. The echidna gasped in pain and coughed up blood as Metal Sonic's fist was buried into his stomach, the force of the thrust actually lifting Knuckles a few inches off the ground. Snarling, Metal Sonic reached up with his other hand and wrapped it around Knuckles' vulnerable neck, holding the echidna in the air and glaring at him with his golden eyes.

"Don't. Ever. Touch. Me," he hissed, tightening his grip around Knuckles' throat. The echidna gasped for breath, fruitlessly kicking and punching Metal Sonic in an effort to free himself; but it was to no avail. Even with all the mighty strength he was known for, Knuckles couldn't so much as make the robot flinch or twitch from his strikes.

The mechanical hedgehog chuckled once more at Knuckles' futile attempts at freedom. His clawed hand then began to constrict around the Guardian's neck, preparing to crush his windpipe. Knuckles' thrashing intensified, as did his incomprehensible cries of pain. Metal Sonic's eyes flickered malevolently.

"This is the end for you, Echidna!"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: So that's two of Eggman's plans that backfired on him in the same story. Almost like I planned it, huh?<strong>


	30. Chapter 29: The Last Straw

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 29: The Last Straw<strong>

"This is the end for you, Echidna!"

_WHAM!_

Out of nowhere, a pair of white steel boots struck the mechanical hedgehog on the side of his head, catching him off-guard and causing him to relinquish his hold on Knuckles. The echidna dropped to his knees and coughed, massaging his bruised throat before looking up at his savior.

Rouge was currently assaulting Metal Sonic, continuing from her first kick to land one kick after another against his head. Her attacks were not dealing any damage, but they managed to push the startled robot back and away from Knuckles. With a final kick smack-center on the robot's face, Rouge pushed away from Metal Sonic and landed gracefully beside Knuckles. The robot stumbled a few more steps back and clutched his face, glaring up at Rouge through his metal fingers.

"You're a nuisance, you vermin!" he barked angrily.

Rouge ignored the insult, instead glancing over her shoulder at the gasping echidna. "Alright there?" she asked Knuckles in concern; or as much concern as was characteristic of her to show.

Knuckles coughed, but nodded his head. "Yeah," he confirmed in a slightly hoarse voice, rubbing his paining knuckles as he eyed Metal Sonic with disdain. "That guy is definitely Sonic's doppelganger," he mused. "His head's just as hard."

Rouge smirked in amusement at the comment.

Upon leaving Sonic and Shadow to confront Metal Sonic, Eggman had approached Rouge and Omega (at the same time signaling to Knuckles to join them) before quickly detailing their new plan of action. The echidna and bat had agreed without question (though they did exchange a skeptical glance with each other). Omega had seemed ready to argue, but once Eggman pointed out that they had no time to waste, he too agreed to the plan - albeit grudgingly. With Eggman having retreated to safety from where Tails and Amy were watching the battle, the echidna, bat, and crimson robot had then turned to face their adversary: at the very moment he knocked Sonic and Shadow away.

_I hope this plan doesn't get screwed up like the last one, _Rouge through grimly as she faced Metal Sonic with a frowning face. Despite the fact that she admitted Doctor Eggman to be a genius, she still had her doubts that this plan would work. However, she trusted Eggman's intelligence (to an extent), so she was willing to go along with the plan. It wasn't like they could do anything else.

Lowering his clawed hand from his face, Metal Sonic gave a synthetic growl before taking a step closer to Knuckles and Rouge; but just as before, his advance was halted mid-action. This time, it was by a line of peppered shots running between him and his quarry. Annoyed, Metal Sonic turned his gaze to Omega, who immediately released another wave of bullets at Metal Sonic. The mechanical hedgehog did not bother dodging this time, instead raising his hand and waving his palm at the approaching bullets. The shots scattered aside, missing him wildly as they flew off in random directions. Metal Sonic leered at Omega.

"I told you already: it's no use!" he shouted gleefully, and swung the aforementioned arm at Omega. A bolt of Chaos Energy erupted from his clawed digits and flew at the E-Series robot. Omega automatically crossed his arms defensively in front of his body, taking the attack head-on. The Spear collided with him, but appeared to not have done any damage, only managing to push Omega back a few feet and scratching his metallic skin. Clearly, that attack had not meant to kill; only to stop Omega or force him to retreat.

As this plan had failed, Metal Sonic tossed aside mercy and pointed a splayed palm at Omega, firing a large beam of gold energy at the robot. The much-slower robot would not be able to react in time to evade the rapidly approaching beam, something which Metal Sonic was counting on. You could practically see the glow in the mechanical hedgehog's eyes brighten in expectation of the oncoming triumph. But just as the energy beam was about to hit, Omega was pulled out of its path and into the air by a pair of glowed hands: Rouge. The white bat flew higher into the air and away from Metal Sonic, panting a little from the effort of carrying the heavy robot.

"Cowards!" Metal Sonic howled, making to launch into the air after them. However, before he had even risen an inch off the ground, he suddenly felt someone grab him firmly by the arm. The next thing he knew, he had been lifted into the air in an arc over his unseen opponent, and slammed onto the ground behind him.

With a mighty crash, Metal Sonic landed hard on his chest. He hissed in rage, knowing full-well that it was the Guardian echidna that was responsible for this act. Clenching his fists in anger, the blue robot made to leap to his feet and swipe his clawed digits against the echidna's face; but once again, he was interrupted before he could begin the action: something large and heavy was abruptly dropped on top of Metal Sonic, pushing him deeper into the rubble with its weight.

"Gah!" Metal gasped as the object crushed him under its weight. With a whir of mechanical parts, h turned his head slowly and peered over his shoulder at the object. Omega stood over him, using his enormous weight to pin Metal Sonic down. The mechanical hedgehog's golden eyes flitted upwards to spot Rouge circling down to join Omega and Knuckles. It was obvious that the white bat had just dropped the heavy robot onto the much lighter one.

Omega cocked his gun and aimed it at Metal Sonic's head in; however, before he could do anything further, the blue robot had given a cry of outrage. Without warning or even a flash of light, the figure under Omega's feet vanished into thin air. The robot, echidna, and bat all stared dumbfounded at the spot where Metal Sonic had just been. It took them less than a second to realize where Metal Sonic was. As one, they all spun around to find the mechanical hedgehog floating in the air a foot away from them. With a cry of anger, Metal Sonic swung his arm back and prepared to launch a Chaos Spear at the trio.

_At this range, none of them can dodge this attack_, Metal Sonic gloated, and judging from the expressions on Knuckles and Rouge's face, they thought so too.

"This is the end!" Metal Sonic declared dramatically…

… Before Shadow appeared behind him and promptly kicked him in the back of his head with all his might. A startled Metal Sonic was launched over the trio before landing face-first on the ground several feet away. Shadow calmly landed on the ground in front of his comrades, frowning over at the mechanical hedgehog.

"Where have you been?" Knuckles demanded.

Shadow looked irritably at him. "Buried under a pile of rubble, if it helps you to know," he snapped. "But forget about that." He pointed a gloved hand at Metal Sonic, whose back was turned to them as he slowly rose to his feet, his entire body shaking in fury. "Metal Sonic's focus is breaking. He's no longer putting any thought into his actions. He's acting solely on rage and instinct, and both of them are telling him to ignore everyone and everything around him: expect for the person who last challenged him."

"Last challenged him?" Rouge repeated, glancing over at the rising metal hedgehog. "Won't that mean -?"

"Insolent black hedgehog!" Metal Sonic screamed hysterically, whipping around to point a furious finger at Shadow. "I'll make you pay for that!"

Shadow smirked and nodded silently at Rouge in confirmation. He then turned back to the cobalt blue robot. "Well then, come and get me," he taunted calmly, activating his Air Shoes and skating off in the opposite direction. Growling, Metal Sonic activated his thrusters and went after him with a roar of his engines, completely ignoring Knuckles, Omega, and Rouge as he shot past them.

Shadow glanced behind himself with satisfaction at the sight of the fuming Metal Sonic. His smirk intensified before he increased his speed; Metal Sonic followed suit, never falling back from Shadow. The ebony hedgehog did not lead his adversary away from the battlefield or his allies; that would be suicidal since the robot could not be beaten by one person. Instead, to aggravate Metal Sonic further, Shadow simply skated around the battlefield.

At first, Metal Sonic stayed firmly at Shadow's tail, following directly behind him, neither closing nor widening the gap between them. Eventually though, he grew bored of Shadow's antics and resorted to a new "game". Instead of tailing Shadow, Metal Sonic instead began cutting-off the Ultimate Lifeform's path, appearing suddenly in Shadow's way and causing him to alter his course. While he normally would never have been able to move fast enough to block Shadow's way like this (just as neither Shadow nor Sonic could normally do to him), Metal Sonic was after all in his Super Form; albeit a weakened form than initially. With his added power, he could outmatch all his opponents in strength, speed, and stamina. The entire battle so far had been proof of that.

After he had blocked Shadow's path three times in a row, Metal Sonic laughed and chased after Shadow once more.

"Give it up! You can't outrun me!" he sneered. He amplified the output from his thrusters and was propelled forward at a greater speed, one that resulted in him gaining easily on Shadow and rapidly closing the gap between them. The sound of the screaming engines powering the robot's thrusters filled Shadow's ears as the former approached.

"You can't win!" Metal Sonic boasted as he charged after the ebony hedgehog, lowering the output from his thrusters, and thus his speed, once he had put the same distance as before between himself and Shadow.

Suddenly, inexplicably, Shadow came to a sliding stop, his back turned to Metal Sonic. Without turning around, he murmured softly, so softly that Metal Sonic missed his words entirely.

"You're right, I can't outrun you," Shadow agreed, looking over his shoulder with a confident smirk. Metal Sonic barely had time to wonder what the black hedgehog was planning, when something slammed into the side of his body; and that something was a spiked, blue sphere spinning like a saw against his body.

"Aaarrggh!" Metal Sonic was knocked off his course and hit the ground hard, grunting angrily. He pushed himself to his feet angrily, turning to face the blue hedgehog that had assaulted them, when another rapidly-spinning ball struck him in the front, this one a combination of black and red. With his momentum, Shadow pushed Metal Sonic back even further. Following this, Sonic immediately appeared to launch another Spin-Dash at Metal Sonic and push him further back. And then came Shadow once more. And then Sonic. And then Shadow.

The two hedgehogs continued in this form nearly ten times, launching attack after attack consecutively and without a chance for their opponent to retaliate. Until at last, they launched the final strike: as Sonic shot towards Metal Sonic, he uncurled in mid-attack and grabbed his metal counterpart by the head. The unsuspecting and dazed robot was lifted into the air and thrown at a waiting Shadow, who slammed a fist down onto the robot's head and planted his form into the ground. A satisfying crunch could be heard as Metal Sonic slammed into the metal debris underneath.

However, both Sonic and Shadow knew this was not enough. Metal Sonic was not yet defeated. Disoriented, yes, but not defeated. As such, Shadow leaped back from the grumbling robot before it could strike back at him.

With a synthetic groan, Metal Sonic groggily rose back to his feet, and was immediately kicked in the back by Sonic. Despite the kick dealing no damage, it nonetheless aggravated Metal Sonic more than it should have. Roaring, he swung an arm at the blue hedgehog, but he was already gone; and the moment Metal Sonic had turned to face Sonic, Shadow had appeared behind him and delivered a kick to his back as well. Enraged, the robot twisted around to face Shadow, but just as before, his adversary had vanished. Metal Sonic's head swung around as he took in the sight before him.

Both Sonic and Shadow were now circling Metal Sonic at high speeds, creating a continuous ringed blur of blue and black around him, partially obscuring his vision. And every now and then, one of the circling hedgehogs would tackle the unsuspecting robot, striking him lightly and slipping away before his counterattack came. Their actions were in no way harming Metal Sonic; only infuriating him. However, the more aggravated Metal Sonic got, the more reckless he became, and the more wildly and senselessly he attacked. Not to mention how much easier it became for his opponents to catch him off-guard or evade his mindless attacks.

And they were using that to their advantage.

After receiving a kick in the "butt" from a cheeky-faced Sonic, Metal Sonic whipped around angrily, ready for Shadow to strike him, but instead he received a bone-shattering punch in the face from Knuckles. Staggering, he had no time to react as Rouge heel-drop-kicked onto his head, forcing him down onto one knee. Just like the two hedgehogs, the echidna and the bat immediately retreated after delivering their strikes, disappearing behind the tornado of blue and black surrounding the robot. An infuriated Metal Sonic then rose to his feet - at the very moment a spray of bullets suddenly fired at him from behind: Omega.

Metal Sonic shrugged the attack off, but as was expected, his distracted state of mind left him unable to react to a second wave of assaults from Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, and Knuckles. A primal roar of fury erupted from Metal Sonic's nonexistent mouth as each attack landed successfully, and each of his counterattacks was dodged easily. His opponents' hit-and-run tactics were getting the better of him, as well as driving him insane. He was attacking blindly now, throwing instinctual attack after instinctual attack through the air, but they all missed their mark. This was not only because his opponents kept dodging them, but because he wasn't focusing on where he aimed or fired: Metal Sonic was literally just waving his arms at thin air now.

The second wave was concluded with another round of shots from Omega, but Metal Sonic was expecting an attack from the robot. As the bullets flew at him, Metal Sonic had raised his hand to point it at Omega, preparing to obliterate the robot, when he was (predictably) interrupted. But this time, it was not a kick or punch, but a small rock that had stopped him, crashing into the back his head before bouncing off ineffectively. Metal Sonic's did not turn to look at what he knew was Tails throwing stones at him yet again. Instead, his eyes were glowing brightly.

"That's enough," he whispered suddenly, his voice dangerously low as more stones bounced off his head. Just as Shadow and Sonic came in for another attack, a fiery aura of gold energy began to engulf his body. But it was now too late for the two hedgehogs to react to the ominous sign.

"ENOUGH!" Metal Sonic bellowed, spreading his arms into the air as he unleashed another wave of Chaos Energy from his body. The energy once again slammed into all those around him, sending them flying back through the air like before.

Six forms crashed onto the ground violently, all wounded by the assault, most lying in an unconscious heap. Omega's body was sparking with electricity as smoke rose from within his outer shell. Knuckles was slumped against a metal "boulder", sporting a bloody forehead and a nasty burn on his arms, the latter a result from having brought his arms up to protect his face from the blast. Rouge lay on her side not far to his left, her leg sprained after having had all of her weight viciously applied to it. Tails, having been the furthest from Metal Sonic, only had a few bruises and scratches on him, but his small form was definitely weakened now; enough to leave him incapable of standing on his feet and only able to lie on the ground now.

The greatest damage, meanwhile, had been received by Sonic and Shadow, both of whom had been the closest to the blast when it had occurred. The black hedgehog lay on his front, his eyes closed and his entire form smoking and seemingly burnt; whether he was dead or alive was anyone's guess. A few yards to his right lay Sonic, lying on his back with his own body in a similar state to Shadow's, if not more serious. After all, Sonic was not as resilient as Shadow was.

Panting in spite of lacking actual lungs, Metal Sonic glared furiously at the fallen warriors, his eyes glowing madly. He swung his head to face Sonic and advanced towards the injured hedgehog, his clawed fingers twitching as he moved.

"This is the last straw, Sonic!" Metal Sonic barked as he stepped closer to his organic counterpart. "I'm going to kill you first, right here and right now! And after that, you're friends shall follow!"

The gold glow in his eyes flickered in anticipation, but for the third time, Metal Sonic came to a stop when another stone bounced ineffectively off his head. Hissing, Metal Sonic swung around to face Tails, pointing an enraged finger at him.

"You're next, fox cub!" he threatened.

He turned back to face the injured Sonic, only to meet the determined form of Amy standing between him and his prey. The female hedgehog stood before the robot with her arms and legs spread apart, her green eyes glowing with hardened resolve.

"Move aside, girl," Metal Sonic hissed with an intimidating step, glaring down at the hedgehog. Despite the murderous aura that engulfed the robot, Amy maintained her ground and shook her head defiantly.

"No!" she answered stubbornly. Though she had obeyed Knuckles' advice and backed away from the fight with Eggman, she had seen that none of her friends were currently in any condition to help Sonic (or any of themselves, for that matter). And far be it for Amy to stand by and let her friends die before her eyes; even if her body was currently as delicate as a glass vase.

"I won't let you lay a hand on Sonic, or anyone else!" the fuchsia hedgehog continued defiantly.

Metal Sonic visibly shook in fury.

"I said, _move aside_!" he exploded, swinging a hand against Amy's face and sending her flying to the side. The female hedgehog hit the ground hard and instantly lost consciousness, her bruised form as motionless as the others around her.

Having delivered this brutal slap, Metal Sonic then advanced towards Sonic and bent down, grabbing the sapphire hedgehog by the throat and lifting him into the air. Slowly, with a soft groan, Sonic opened his eyes a fraction and peered down at his adversary. An imaginary grin of insane pleasure was twisting itself onto Metal Sonic's face.

"I've waited a long time for this, Sonic," he whispered to the dazed hedgehog.

And with a laugh, he smashed the blue figure onto the ground. Crimson blood came flying out of Sonic's mouth as he cried out in pain, but Metal Sonic was not finished yet. Balling his hand into a fist, the robot slammed it fiercely into Sonic's face. His other fist followed immediately, and then the first one returned for another strike. Laughing maniacally, Metal Sonic repeatedly launched vicious punch after vicious punch into Sonic's vulnerable face. He pounded the cobalt blue hedgehog mercilessly, ignoring his cries of pain and the blood that was soon staining his metal fists: Sonic's blood.

None of Sonic's friends were conscious enough to help him. Only a helpless Tails lay awake to witness the horrendous scene, but the poor fox could do nothing but avert his tear-stained eyes from the horrid sight. Tails glanced around earnestly at his fallen comrades, hoping to see that one of them was awake and fit to save Sonic, but all he saw were still figures and closed eyelids.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Metal Sonic laughed maliciously as he continued punching Sonic's bloodied face. "What happened to your confidence? Where are your brilliant comebacks _now_?" He laughed psychotically once more, proving the fact that he was on the verge of losing his mind; perhaps he'd already done so.

"_Ahahahahahahah_!"

The chilling laughter echoed through Shadow's head, and the black hedgehog finally opened his eyes. He blinked groggily in an attempt to clear his hazy vision. As he glanced around, his eyes widened as he caught sight of the disturbing scene occurring to his right. Even someone as composed as Shadow found the sight of Sonic's torturous beating unbearable to watch. Gritting his teeth, the black hedgehog tried to get up and help Sonic, but to his dismay he found he could not. He was completely drained of energy; every inch of him ached, and his entire body felt like it was made of lead. He, the Ultimate Lifeform, wasn't going anywhere.

With a deranged chuckle, Metal Sonic finally stopped pounding Sonic's face and straightened up to his full height. Without warning, he abruptly slammed a foot down on the hedgehog's ribcage. His eyes glowed maliciously as he then mercilessly grinded his foot against the wounded Sonic's chest, twisted laugher rising over Sonic's howls of pain.

"Beg!" Metal Sonic commanded viciously, pressing down hard on Sonic's chest. Sonic screamed louder and clutched Metal Sonic's leg, trying to push the appendage of him; as expected, however, he was too weak to accomplish this.

"Beg!" the mechanical hedgehog repeated, this time more loudly and violently. He increased the pressure on Sonic's sternum with his foot. "Beg me to stop, Sonic! Beg me!" He cackled softly in sick amusement. "Go on! I want to hear you plead for me to stop. Do it!" he howled, grinding harder on Sonic's chest. The blue hedgehog screamed in pain, and Shadow lowered his gaze in shame.

And then, out of the corner of his eye, Shadow caught sight of something that made his heart stop. Startled, the black hedgehog turned his full attention back to the guffawing robot. Metal Sonic's body was slowly being enveloped in an aura of dangerously red energy; an aura that was flickering and pulsating in an unsettling manner. With a widening of his crimson eyes, Shadow realized instantly what was happening: Metal Sonic's body was preparing to expel the unstable Chaos Energy within it.

It was preparing to explode.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: We're approaching the end of the story, folks.<strong>


	31. Chapter 30: The Only One Who Can

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 30: The Only One Who Can<strong>

They were too late. Despite their efforts, they had not been quick enough. The Chaos Energy had not been stabilized in time; they had not managed to drain out Metal Sonic's unstable power in time. And because of that, he was going to expel all that energy at once: the resulting explosion would, at its least, only wipe out the island they were on.

_I can't let that happen_, Shadow thought resolutely, thinking quickly and trying to come up with a way to stop the impending explosion. His crimson eyes flitted unseeingly over the rubble underneath him as his mind raced with thoughts. What? What could he do? How was he going to stop a blast of Chaos Energy, one that was powerful enough to destroy an entire island? How could he do this, when his own body was completely drained of energy; when the simple act of rising to his feet seemed far too arduous? If he had the Chaos Emeralds on hand, he might be able to do something, but they were still sealed within Metal Sonic. And therein lay the problem.

"_You use Chaos Energy the most. You're the most skilled in its usage."_

Shadow's head snapped up as he recalled those words.

"_The problem is that the energy that was pulled out is highly unstable now. It has nothing to contain it. Nothing's controlling it."_

Slowly, the black hedgehog looked up at Metal Sonic, seeing him in a new light.

"_With Chaos' data in my memory, I can manipulate Chaos Energy effortlessly now. Its usage is now second-nature to me, just like it is for you." _

Gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes in determination, Shadow reached out and dug his fingers into a crevice in the debris below him. Slowly, he began pulling himself across the "ground" and towards Metal Sonic.

"_You're skill in manipulating Chaos Energy is second-to-none amongst Sonic's friends. You can manipulate it without an actual source, unlike the others." _

He inched closer to the ecstatic robot, his movements going undetected by the latter.

"_No matter where the Chaos Energy is held, you're probably the only one who could use it properly without issue."_

"Hahahahah!" Metal Sonic laughed gleefully at Sonic. "Come on, Sonic! I can't hear your pleas!" He drove his foot harder into the blue hedgehog's chest. Sonic yelled out once more, enticing Metal Sonic to cackle ecstatically yet again.

All of a sudden, the mechanical hedgehog staggered and his foot slipped off Sonic's chest. Startled, Metal Sonic glanced down to see that Shadow's hand had shot forward and clasped itself around his ankle, on the leg which hadn't been busy crushing Sonic's ribcage. His initial surprise vanishing, the robot then chuckled softly in amusement at the black hedgehog.

"Hah! And you call yourself the Ultimate Lifeform?" he derided at the hedgehog. "Pathetic!"

With another laugh, Metal Sonic shook his leg to try and free it from Shadow's grip, but the ebony hedgehog did not let go. A frown seemed to appear on Metal Sonic's impassive face as he growled and shook his leg harder.

"Let - go - of - me!" he barked angrily, swiping a hand cruelly across the top of Shadow's head, with enough force that ought to send him flying back. He even managed to draw blood from his strike, his clawed hands having cut into his victim's skin and leave five, bright red gashes in the dark fur. However, even now the black hedgehog did not relinquish his hold on the robot's leg. His crimson eyes were narrowed in fierce determination as he maintained his vice-like grip, in spite of Metal Sonic's irritated shaking of his leg to free it from the former's grasp.

"_I dunno, Tails. I don't think me or Shadow have ever tried drawing out the Emeralds' power when someone else is using it."_

Shadow's eyes suddenly flashed resolutely.

"Chaos -," he began slowly, dragging the word out just as Metal Sonic had done so earlier. At the sound of this word, Metal Sonic froze and stared down at Shadow perplexedly, before allowing a synthetic snort of arrogance to issue from his nonexistent mouth.

"What's this? You think you can use your Chaos Powers against _me_?" he scoffed, laughing. "You fool! I have the very power of the Chaos Emeralds at my side! I control their power! I _am _their power! Without the Chaos Emeralds, you're all useless! There's nothing you can do now to stop -."

"- CONTROL!"

With a burst of light, both the organic hedgehog and mechanical hedgehog vanished from sight.

"Shadow!" Tails gasped in surprise from his further position, having witnessed the entire scene. He glanced around helplessly, wondering what he should do, but once again, all he saw were the immobile forms of his knocked-out friends.

He then heard a soft groan issue from the twitching blue figure nearby. Tails' eyes snapped in Sonic's direction, and he was relieved to see that Sonic was slowly pushing himself into a sitting position (or, to be more specific, propping himself up on his elbows). He was coughing and groaning in pain, and looked worse for wear, but the important thing was that he was still alive. In fact, the look in his emerald green eyes was not one of pain, but of his characteristic cheer.

"Sonic!" Tails called out in happiness, trying to rise to his feet and move closer to his friend to help him. Unfortunately, due to his injuries, the small fox stumbled back down to the ground immediately with a groan.

"Take it easy, bro," Sonic assured him, while giving his friend a weak, yet lively smile. "I don't think any of us are going anywhere just yet."

He glanced around at the limp figures lying around him, his eyes softening in worry as he surveyed them all. His jade green eyes then fell on the spot where Shadow and Metal Sonic had last been standing. A faint smile stretched onto his blood-coated lips. All that remained there were two small objects glimmering in the sunlight.

The sound of footsteps drew both his and Tails' attention to an approaching figure, which turned out to be a battered-looking Eggman. The Doctor was examining the destruction around him with a frown, his eyes sweeping over the injured Mobians one by one, until his gaze fell upon Sonic.

"Hey, Eggman," Sonic greeted a jovial grin. "Finally decided to come outta hiding?"

Eggman smirked. "Oh yes: just like how you finally managed to make yourself look more handsome," he retorted, gesturing to the bloodied and bruised mess that was Sonic's face.

"_More _handsome? So I was handsome before?"

"Err, well -."

"What is the situation?" a synthetic voice suddenly interrupted. Sonic, Tails, and Eggman all turned as one to find Omega rising to his feet, smoke still rising from the gaps within his body, but otherwise appearing undamaged. The E-Series robot swiveled his crimson optics as he took in the scene around him, before returning them back to the three conscious forms.

"What is the situation?" he repeated. "Where are Shadow and Metal Sonic?"

"They -," Tails began, but Eggman cut him off with a lift of his hand.

"First, let's wake the others," he ordered, waving an arm at the unconscious Mobians around them. "I'll explain once everyone's awake, so that none of us will have to repeat ourselves."

To everyone's surprise, Omega did not argue, instead turning away and marching over to Rouge to wake her. Sonic and Tails threw each other a glance of surprise, amazed that the vengeful robot had agreed to Eggman's suggestion without question.

"Well, guess we'd better wake the others then," Sonic stated, trying to rise to his feet. He immediately groaned in pain and lay back down. Nearby, Eggman sighed at him.

"You two stay down," he muttered irritably to the hedgehog and fox. "I'll go wake Knuckles and Amy myself."

"Thank you, Doctor!" Sonic called out in a playful voice, to which Eggman responded with an aggravated wave of his hand before marching away. Sonic then turned his head away and directed his gaze to the sky above, watching the clouds without actually seeing them; his mind was focused on other thoughts at the moment, namely a black and red hedgehog.

"It's all up to you, Shadow," Sonic mumbled weakly. "You're the only one who can beat him now... Good luck."

* * *

><p>Several miles in the air above the defeated Mobians, a flash of light appeared before revealing the two vanished hedgehogs. Shadow was still clinging firmly to Metal Sonic's leg with one hand, his face characteristically set in grim determination as his flitting eyes took in the endless stretch of blue around them. His eyes then shifted downwards to take in the distant land beneath them; a fall from this height was certainly a dangerous one. Not as dangerous as falling to the Earth from space, but a dangerous one nonetheless.<p>

Fortunately, there would be no deadly and death-defying drops to the ground. Thanks to Metal Sonic's Super Form, the two figures were floating in mid-air rather than plummeting to the earth far below. While Shadow was confident that a drop this large would not kill him (or even Metal Sonic in his Super Form) he was less confident that he would survive the experience unscathed. After all, it may not kill him, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt like hell. Falling to the earth from a huge height once was good enough.

While Shadow was taking in his surroundings, a dumbfounded Metal Sonic was gawking around himself, unable to believe what had just happened. It was incomprehensible! It was impossible! This hedgehog, this hedgehog that was still holding on to his leg, had actually managed to use Chaos Control to teleport him away from the battlefield - _without a Chaos Emerald_!

"Wha-? But… how?" Metal Sonic managed to wonder out loud. Before he had time to further contemplate this startling occurrence, there was a sudden a burst of blinding gold light from underneath him.

The mechanical hedgehog growled as the intensity of the light overloaded the visual feed from his optics. For a second, the only thing that his processors received was a continuous image of a bright, blinding glow. The robot instinctively raised a metal hand in front of his optics to shield them from the glare, but it did little to help. When the glow had finally died down, Metal Sonic lowered his hand and paused for a nanosecond while his visual feed returned to normal. When it did, he found himself staring at something completely unexpected.

A few feet in the air before him hovered Shadow, the dark fur coating his body replaced with a metallic shade of golden. A fiery aura of bright gold energy was engulfing the hedgehog as he eyed the robot with a visage of determination.

There was no mistaking what Metal Sonic was seeing right now.

"A Super Form?" Metal Sonic gasped in disbelief. A moment later, his clawed hands clenched into trembling fists; he eyed Shadow furiously through burning optics.

"How?" he barked angrily at the calm hedgehog. "How is this possible? How are you using your Super Form without the Chaos Emeralds? _I _have them inside me! _I _have their power! It's not possible for you to be able to use your Super Form without them! You shouldn't be able to - you _can't_!"

At the sound of the shrill quality Metal Sonic's voice had taken at the last few words, Shadow couldn't help but smirk. "You're right, I can't," he replied simply and briefly. "But that doesn't change the fact that I _did_."

The metal hedgehog growled audibly at the organic one. "No matter how you managed this feat, it won't make any difference!" he snapped. "_I'm_ the superior being, and _I'll_ be the one to achieve victory!"

He raised his arm high into the air and began summoning a group of Chaos Spears. As the Chaos Energy began emanating from the robot's upturned palm, the black hedgehog suddenly narrowed his eyes in concentration and balled his fists. Aside from this, he did not show any other reaction to Metal Sonic's impending attack; he wasn't even preparing himself to evade the soon-to-come attack.

In a matter of milliseconds, there floated fifteen Chaos Spears over Metal Sonic's head, all aimed at the calm Shadow. The Spears seemed to crackle with electrical energy as they hovered above the blue robot. Metal Sonic looked over at Shadow, and seemed to grin triumphantly.

"Die!" he declared, bringing his raised arm swinging down to point it at Shadow.

At that very instant, the Chaos Spears exploded in a burst of light and crackling sparks.

"What?" Metal Sonic glanced up confusedly at his destroyed Chaos Spears. He then looked down at Shadow, eyeing him suspiciously. Despite the fact that Shadow hadn't made any move since his initial one, Metal Sonic was convinced he had somehow managed to detonate his Chaos Spears.

"How did you do that?" the robot demanded, but Shadow did not reply, merely maintaining his stance of silence and composure. Metal Sonic growled in frustration at Shadow's unresponsiveness.

"ANSWER ME!" he howled, pointing a splayed palm at Shadow and firing a beam of richly-gold Chaos Energy at the latter. However, just as with the Chaos Spears, the beam dissipated a few feet beyond Metal Sonic and vanished. And just as before, Shadow remained completely silent, without even a flicker of emotion in his watchful eyes.

As an irate Metal Sonic was looking about ready to start screaming incoherently at Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform at last made a move. He raised his right arm and pointed it at Metal Sonic, fingers outstretched and palm exposed.

Metal Sonic stared at Shadow perplexedly. "What are you -?" he began, before his body suddenly convulsed and shuddered. The mechanical hedgehog bent over as he began experiencing an odd sensation inside him. The golden glow in his optics began to fluctuate in brightness, whilst a flaming aura of gold Chaos Energy engulfed his trembling frame.

"This feeling…," he whispered in a soft voice of realization. He raised his head to glare up at the gold hedgehog; but, despite the venomous nature of his gaze, he still spoke in that low, soft voice.

"So that's how you're doing it… You're draining the Emerald's power from me again, aren't you?" the metal hedgehog spat angrily. When Shadow did not reply or react to his words, Metal Sonic glanced down at his clawed hands, before curling them into shaking fists.

"I don't know how you're managing to do this…," the robot continued, still staring down at his fists, "... but you won't take this power from me." He suddenly swung his head up to lock eyes with the stoic hedgehog. "This is _my_ power! It belongs to me! And you… YOU WON'T HAVE IT!"

An expression of shock overcame Shadow's features. The flaming aura around Metal Sonic abruptly expanded and increased in ferocity amid a primal roar from the robot. The glow from his body was now so bright, that Shadow had to narrow his eyes to see him clearly. Everywhere he looked, he saw only bright gold; the sky and the clouds in the backdrop all seemed to be coated in gold paint now. Both he and his adversary were now hovering in a massive sphere of golden light, so large that it seemed to stretch beyond the limits of Shadow's vision.

As he was beholding this scene in speechless surprise, Shadow suddenly felt a tugging sensation in his gut; his shocked expression contorted into one of discomfort at the feeling. It felt as if someone had latched a hook onto his stomach and was forcefully pulling it up his torso. Shadow's own body trembled and he bent over in pain, teeth gritted tightly and hands clutching his stomach.

As Shadow looked up from his pain, his crimson eyes met those of Metal Sonic's, which were no longer flickering in intensity, but radiating intensely. The robot curled his clawed digits into fists as he surveyed the hunched-up gold hedgehog floating before him in the air.

"_Two _can play at this game," Metal Sonic stated sinisterly. "Let's see how _you_ like having your power leeched on!"

* * *

><p>The sudden glow in the sky was so intense as to be easily caught by all those on the ground. Confused eyes looked up at the throbbing collection of gold light in the distance. Rouge squinted up at the orb of light, wondering what was happening up there. She tried to rise to her feet, but thanks to her sprained leg it was no easy feat. Electing to remain seated on the ground, Rouge looked up through quizzical eyes at the glowing sphere.<p>

It had only been a few minutes since Omega and Eggman had begun waking up Sonic's friends. It had taken some doing, but the two had eventually succeeded in rousing Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge from the stupor. Once they were all awake, Tails and Eggman filled them all in on the recent occurrence, to which there had been numerous exchanges of confused and worried looks from the audience. However, before any proper questions could be poised, everyone's attention had been re-directed as they all took notice of the giant, radiating glow in the sky far above them.

"What the hell's going on up there?" Knuckles voiced out in wonder, glancing at the others for an answer, in particular Tails. The young fox, however, shrugged unknowingly.

Also wanting an answer, but knowing someone who was more likely to have one, Rouge turned to the fat man standing behind her. One of the Doctor's hands was raised to his glasses, the index and thumb fingers of said hand gently touching one corner of the eyewear's circular rim. He was watching the glow overheard intently, and did not lower his gaze to meet Rouge's.

"Eggman, what's going on?" the female bat asked curiously, but the Doctor did not reply; nor did he make eye contact with her. Out of all of them, Eggman was the only one who was not gazing up at the light in confusion. Rouge was certain he knew exactly what was occurring up there, but for some reason, he seemed reluctant to answer.

"Scanning," Omega stated from his position beside the white bat, his hooded head turned up to the sky. A second later, he looked down slowly at Rouge. "Scanners indicate that the source of the glow is Metal Sonic. Shadow is currently with him."

Rouge blinked. "Shadow's up there?" she asked, looking back up at the sphere in relief. She had been worried that something had happened to him, but it seemed that he was still alive. As this cause of worry for her friend left her, a new reason for dread instantly took hold of her. What was Shadow doing up there? What was he planning?

"But why?" Tails wondered out loud. "Why did Shadow and Metal Sonic go up there? _How _did they get up there?"

Knuckles raised an eyebrow at the fox. "Didn't you say that Shadow used Chaos Control?"

"Yes. But what I mean is: _how _did Shadow use Chaos Control to get himself and Metal Sonic up there, without using a Chaos Emerald?"

"Oh, right. I knew that!"

Rouge rolled her eyes at the embarrassed echidna. "Bit fast on the uptake, aren't you, Knuckles?" she remarked sarcastically. Knuckles glared at her and seemed ready to answer back, but he was interrupted by someone speaking up at that moment.

"Objects of interest discovered," Omega suddenly called out. They all turned to find the crimson robot holding a pair of golden rings in the air above his head. His luminous optics swiveled into focus as he examined the objects.

Rouge blinked as she recognized the rings. "Aren't those Shadow's Inhibitor Rings?"

"Affirmative. Shadow must have removed them before teleporting away."

"What's he thinking?" Knuckles wondered. "He won't be able to beat Metal Sonic in his current state, even if he removes those Rings of his. Metal Sonic's too strong for him."

He glanced towards Eggman, and then Rouge. "Right?" he asked uncertainly, seeking confirmation. Eggman did not grace him with an answer, while Rouge merely shrugged in ignorance.

"Don't - worry, guys," Sonic coughed from his position, grinning confidently at his comrades. At the sound of his voice, everyone but Eggman's focus turned to his bloodied face.

The blue hedgehog's head was resting in a crying Amy's lap, the only one who had managed to pluck up the energy to move over to Sonic after Shadow's departure. It was understandable, since Amy _had _been the least injured from all of them. She had been awoken by Eggman after Knuckles, and had immediately caught sight of her beloved hero in the debilitated state that he was in. Upon seeing this, Amy had instantly rushed to his side and tried to help him in any way she could; all the while crying silently at the sight. Sonic, upon seeing the waterfall of tears rushing down her face, had opted to let Amy comfort instead of pushing her away as he usually did. Besides, he was far too exhausted and broken to do so otherwise.

The blue hedgehog continued faithfully, sitting up a little straighter and nodding reassuringly to all those present. "Shadow's got a plan. He'll pull through." He gave a small, bloody cough and laid his head back down on Amy's lap.

"Right now, he's the only one who can," he continued in a soft voice, looking back up at the glowing sphere.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: This was supposed to be the concluding chapter, and there originally wasn't any Super Shadow. However, I decided to make some last-minute changes, as I found my original idea to be a little "lacking" in credibility.<strong>


	32. Chapter 31: Chaos In The Emeralds

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 31: Chaos In The Emeralds<strong>

"_Two _can play at this game," Metal Sonic stated sinisterly. "Let's see how you like having your power leeched on!"

Shadow snarled loudly as the pain in his body intensified; he felt like hot knives were being thrust into every inch of his body. The golden shade his fur had undertaken darkened to charcoal black for a second before returning to its previous color; this process then continued repeating itself. Shadow, however, refused to remove his gaze from the fiery one of Metal Sonic's, despite the excruciating pain coursing through his body right now.

The mechanical hedgehog seemed to be enjoying the sight of the Ultimate Lifeform in pain. He even allowed himself a villainous chuckle as he gave an imaginary leer to the bent-over hedgehog.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked with a sadistic air. "I'm sure even someone as resilient as you can't stand this for long."

Shadow did not reply, nor did he give the robot the pleasure of hearing his sounds of discomfort. However, the robot could see past the Ultimate Lifeform's poker face easily, able to tell that he was indeed finding it difficult to withstand the pain.

Metal Sonic chuckled softly. "You won't succeed this time. I am the superior one, the more powerful being. Victory shall be mine." He raised his arms into the air and turned his face upwards at the sky, as if about to make a grand declaration.

"For I am Metal Sonic! _I _am the one, the only, the _true_ Sonic!"

"No."

Metal Sonic froze and looked down furiously at Shadow, who was glaring back at him steadily.

"You're not the real Sonic," Shadow continued seriously. "Even if you're just as annoying, you're still just a metal version of him."

"SILENCE!" Metal Sonic exploded, and fired a Chaos Spear at Shadow in blind rage.

But the spear disintegrated an inch from Shadow's face, and before the metal hedgehog knew it, he was hunched over just like the organic hedgehog. However, the organic hedgehog was no longer bent-over in pain: he was back to his full height, panting slightly as he had his palm pointed at his metal adversary. This time, the aura around Shadow had strengthened, while the one around Metal Sonic had weakened. The blue robot was clutching his head firmly as he growled loudly, the same pain Shadow had been experiencing overloading his processors.

_That accursed hedgehog! _he was raging in his mind. _How did he do that? I was drawing out his power!_

"You can't siphon out my energy and attack me at the same time," Shadow informed him calmly, drawing the robot's attention at his words. "Your power seems to have made you nothing but foolish."

Metal Sonic growled, glaring at Shadow with flickering optics. "My resolve and hatred have kept me going all these years. I won't be outdone by someone like you!"

"Someone like me? As in: someone _better_ than you?" Shadow remarked tauntingly, actually smirking at his opponent now.

"Filthy organic," Metal Sonic snarled venomously at Shadow. "My wrath cannot be stopped. I _will _succeed. I _will _have my revenge: on Sonic, on Eggman, and now, on _you_!"

"Revenge?" Shadow repeated, crimson eyes narrowing at the word. "If that's what you're ultimate goal is, then you're doomed to fail. Vengeance is never easy, and it's often not worth the effort. I know: I've experienced that kind of hatred before, that anger. But I managed to look past my hatred."

"Hmph! And that is why you are weak!" Metal Sonic retorted obnoxiously. "That is why _I _am the superior being!"

"That," Shadow began, pointing an open palm at Metal Sonic, "is a matter of opinion."

"You're arrogance infuriates me," the mechanical hedgehog snapped, balling his fists. "Just who do you think you are?"

"I thought it was obvious. I'm Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog; and I'm the one who's going to beat you."

With those words, Shadow clenched his hand into a fist, and instantly the draining effect upon Metal Sonic intensified. The robot howled and clutched his sides. His flickering optics swung back up to face Shadow.

"You won't beat me," he gasped vehemently through surges of pain. "You may have the upper hand right now, but you won't beat me! Do you hear me? You won't beat me!"

Shadow ignored Metal Sonic's words, long having grown tired of his incessant repetition of the same wondered when the robot was going to realize the obvious truth: his defeat was inevitable. He was running purely on rage now, while Shadow was still as calm and clear-minded as ever. In such conditions, it was clear who would emerge victorious. Anger merely blinded one, and in Metal Sonic's case, it had been doing that both figuratively and - in a sense - literally.

"I won't lose to you!" Metal Sonic hissed furiously. "You're nothing but a _fake_: a _fake_ of me and Sonic!"

Shadow cocked an eyebrow at the clearly-deranged robot. "A fake? The only _fake _here is _you_."

"SHUT UP!" Metal Sonic howled loudly, his metal frame literally rattling from his rage. Without warning, the robot lunged at Shadow.

The action was so sudden, and so unexpected, that the Ultimate Lifeform did not appear to have any time to react. Almost instantaneously, the metal hedgehog was upon the organic one, and his clawed hand had clasped itself tightly around the latter's throat. At the same time, an aura of Chaos Energy began to engulf Shadow, identical to the one still coating Metal Sonic. The gold hedgehog did not try to stop his opponent or avoid his assault, instead maintaining his tranquil demeanor the entire time; even as the cold digits dug curled around his neck, and an excruciating burst of pain surged through his body once more.

Metal Sonic stared daggers at Shadow, their faces separated by the length of the robot's arm. Despite the position the organic hedgehog was in, he was still managing to maintain the siphoning process on the mechanical hedgehog. In spite of his rage, a part of Metal Sonic was impressed by Shadow's cool-headedness: he was surprised that the Ultimate Lifeform's concentration was so unshakable. The stoic hedgehog had not even batted an eye as Metal Sonic had charged at him, or when he had grabbed hold of his neck.

Little did the robot know, Shadow's mind was also flitting with thoughts of admiration: he was still astounded by the robot's stubbornness. Clearly, Metal Sonic's belief that _he _was the original Sonic was his driving force; it was what fueled his rage, and gave him more power than even the Chaos Emeralds could. It was this thought that was allowing him to continue on for so long, even when he was facing defeat. In a sense, the mechanical hedgehog was just as stubborn as his organic counterpart, if not even more.

The seconds ticked by as both hedgehogs stared each other in the eyes, icy crimson clashing with fiery gold. With their close proximity, both the aura's surrounding them had meshed together. It was anyone's guess who was drawing out who's power, let alone who was succeeding in doing so. To an outsider, it looked as if both hedgehogs were merely glaring at each other and doing nothing else, but that was not the case. The fight between them was no longer one of physical strength, nor was it one of prowess in Chaos Energy manipulation. It was now a battle of will, of determination.

Then, a voice calmly spoke out two words.

"Chaos… Blast."

And both hedgehogs were engulfed in a massive explosion.

* * *

><p>A gargantuan explosion composed of fire and Chaos Energy could be seen in the sky. Despite the huge distance between the blast and the ground, the resultant inferno still seemed huge and imposing to them. It was as if they were just beyond its reach, but still threatened by it. The blast seemed to consume the very clouds in the air around it, even igniting the ones further away and causing them to vaporize; a bright, deathly red glow had filled the sky amidst the explosion, blinding all those ogling up at it. A massive shockwave came roaring down to Earth moments after the blast's origination, nearly knocking the entire group to the ground.<p>

All but Eggman and Omega gasped in surprise at the sudden explosion, though the robot did express his shock by stiffening his posture. Only Eggman seemed perfectly composed by the sight of this occurrence, the only alteration in his expression being an intensification of his frown, and the furrowing of his brow.

"Did they just -?" Knuckles wondered in awe.

"No way," Rouge whispered disbelievingly. There had just been an explosion up there; what had happened? Was Shadow alright? Did Metal Sonic do something to him? What was going on? All these questions flashed through Rouge's mind as she scanned the skies anxiously for any sign of the black hedgehog, but all she saw was the large fireball where the organic and mechanical hedgehog had relocated to.

"Shadow…," Sonic murmured through clenched teeth, looking as if he were blaming himself for this situation. Shadow couldn't be dead… Could he?

Omega suddenly straightened his posture, his eyes glowing brightly.

"Object detected," he announced with a trace of relief in his voice. He raised a metal hand and pointed his index finger at the inferno. Every eye followed his point, and they all spotted a distant, black dot dropping to the ground.

"What's that?" Rouge asked hurriedly, turning to look at the robot.

"Or rather, _who _is that?" Knuckles corrected, indigo eyes squinted up fruitlessly to get a clearer view of the object.

"It is Shadow," the robot replied simply. A wave of relief spread through Rouge's body as she looked back up at the falling dot. A second later, her eyes widened in realization: the dot was falling to the ground, unhindered and uncontrolled, from an incredible height. A height that not even Shadow could survive a fall without injury.

Before Rouge could voice this terrible piece of insight, Knuckles had suddenly turned to her in determination.

"Quick, gimme your hand!" he commanded, holding out his own for hers. Despite the situation, Rouge couldn't help but cock an eyebrow at the echidna in surprise.

"This isn't the best time to be romantic, you know," she remarked by way of habit, in spite of the situation.

"Just give me your hand, damn it!"

Her confusion increasing, Rouge obeyed and offered her hand to Knuckles. The echidna gripped it tightly and pulled Rouge to her feet. Before she could question his intent, Knuckles turned to Omega.

"Throw me," he ordered the robot, who watched him silently for a second before grabbing hold of Knuckles' arm and lifting him into the air. As Knuckles was still holding on tightly to Rouge's hand, she too was lifted into the air with the echidna.

"Target locked," Omega announced, and as everyone watched, he swung the two Mobians in his hold in a circular arc before throwing them skywards. With the momentum and strength behind his throw, the two Mobians shot up through the air like bullets; straight towards the falling Shadow.

It was then that Rouge realized what Knuckles' plan was.

"Go!" Knuckles shouted to Rouge, before he too tossed her with all his might at Shadow. The white bat was flung even further upwards while the echidna below her glided safely back to the ground.

It only took Rouge a millisecond to realize what Knuckles was planning. Her initial confusion and surprise at being thrown was immediately replaced by one of purpose. Locking her light blue eyes on the rapidly-descending figure above her, Rouge tucked her limbs and wings close to her body to streamline herself. With the aid of the force behind Knuckles' throw, Rouge shot upwards like a bullet towards the rapidly-descending Shadow.

As she closed the gap between her and the hedgehog, she reached out with an arm and grabbed him in mid-fall. Spreading her wings and using the added air resistance to decelerate, Rouge slowed down to a hovering stop in mid-air. With a sigh of relief, she then flew down as fast as she could to the ground, holding the unconscious Shadow under the arms.

_That was some quick thinking there, Knuckles_, Rouge thought amusingly as she descended towards the group. _I'm impressed._

A few seconds later, she was depositing the hedgehog safely onto the ground. Rouge then sat down beside him, looking down at her partner properly now. A look of concern overcame her features upon seeing his body.

"Shadow…," she whispered fearfully, examining the damage the explosion had inflicted upon him.

Shadow's eyes were closed as if he were asleep; his onyx-colored fur was burnt and smoking heavily, as were the visible portions of his skin. An abundance of blood was trickling down from his mouth, and parts of his fur were matted in blood. What was more, Rouge spotted what appeared to be metal shrapnel imbedded in the hedgehog's flesh, though she could not tell whether they had pierced anything important. In short, the black hedgehog looked nearly as beaten as Sonic, even more in fact. The only consolation for Rouge was that his chest was rising up and down slowly in synchrony his breathing, and she could feel the warmth in his body that came with life.

Omega thundered over to crouch down beside Rouge and Shadow, his eyes swooping over the black hedgehog's body intently.

"Scanning vitals," he informed as the scarlet glow of his optics was replaced by a more soothing, green light. The others waited tensely for the robot's verdict. Even Eggman had inched closer to peer down at Shadow, though his visage remained just as impassive as before.

Finally, Omega's eyes reverted back to their red color and he rose to his feet. The rest of the group looked at him expectantly.

"Shadow has suffered a tremendous amount of physical damage," Omega explained. "However, his life is currently not in danger. He shall survive."

Five worried faces relaxed into relieved ones.

"Thank goodness," Amy murmured happily. Sonic grinned from her lap.

"That's our Shadow," he remarked proudly. "Even an explosion larger than a city can't kill him."

Rouge lifted a comforted face from the ebony hedgehog and up at the others. Her eyes slid to Eggman, the only one who seemed to have remained unfazed by this entire event.

"Doctor, what happened up there?" Rouge asked seriously, as if she expected Eggman to reveal some elaborate scheme of his to betray them. It was not due to any actual suspicions, but more out of habit than anything else. In fact, she wasn't the only one to think like this: everyone present, even Sonic, had at one point during this entire incident wondered if Eggman had another hidden agenda. None of them could actually trust him completely, not when they knew a genius like him could stab them in the back at any time.

However, even if such was the case, the Doctor did not reveal any such ulterior motive. Instead, he finally answered Rouge's question.

"I told you all earlier that the Chaos Energy within Metal Sonic was becoming unstable, didn't I? That it would eventually cause him to self-destruct? Well, that's exactly what was happening before Shadow vanished with Metal Sonic in tow. It seems all your efforts until then had been wasted. Regardless of your attacks, Metal Sonic's body had _not _been stabilized. But it seems Shadow figured out a way to stop him."

Doctor Eggman nodded down at Shadow. "You're all aware of Shadow's proficiency in controlling Chaos Energy. I assume - no, I _know _- that Shadow made use of the Chaos Energy leaking out of Metal Sonic to warp him away from all of us."

Knuckles blinked. "Really? Could he really do that? Control Chaos Energy that someone else was using?"

The Doctor's eyes rose to the sky, the blue _pince-nez _glasses reflecting the sunlight from above. "The Chaos Energy was no longer under Metal Sonic's control; by then, he had lost nearly all his ability to manipulate the Chaos Emeralds within him. It was for that very reason that Shadow was able to deliver the final, crippling blow to Metal Sonic."

He looked down from the sky and at his attentive audience, smiling in amusement before continuing.

"I could see everything going on up there thanks to my glasses, so I can tell you all this with certainty: When Shadow teleported Metal Sonic away, he then called upon the Emeralds' power to enter his Super Form. Based on my scans, it was a weaker version than normal (probably due to the fact that the Chaos Energy was too unstable to properly control), but it seemed to be enough. He was able to maintain his Super Form, and that alone was enough of an advantage for the added power his Super Form gave him, Shadow resumed our original plan of draining out Metal Sonic's power. He began to leech out Metal Sonic's power, and thus weaken him."

"That's amazing," Tails whispered in awe.

Knuckles, however, did not seem that amused.

"You could see all of this, and you didn't tell us anything?" he demanded, eyeing the Doctor in irritation. "Would it have killed you to share a little info with us?"

"Oh, stop it, Knuckles," Rouge snapped with a roll of her sky-blue eyes. "Just let the Doctor finish his story. You can take out your frustration on him later."

"Hmph! Fine. I'll hold you to that."

"There's a good echidna. Continue, Doctor."

As if he had never been interrupted, Eggman continued his explanation. "But, there was a problem. Surprisingly, Metal Sonic still had some fight left in him; or should I say, _a lot_. Despite all of Shadow's efforts, Metal Sonic still refused to give up his power. The two began struggling for dominance, and I'm being honest when I say this, that I had my doubts whether Shadow would succeed or not. Metal Sonic's resolve was mind-boggling."

"But he did succeed," Amy stated, sparing Shadow a glance before returning her gaze to Eggman. "Shadow did succeed. How?"

An amused smirk formed on Eggman's lips, his bushy moustaches curling upwards with their formation.

"Shadow used the Chaos Energy inside Metal Sonic to generate a Chaos Blast. He blew Metal Sonic apart from the inside."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by this news. "Whoa. Talk about harsh. That must have hurt a lot!"

"It was also very effective. The Chaos Blast, you see, is a very powerful technique. If all seven Chaos Emeralds were used to execute the technique, then whatever it strikes could certainly be destroyed completely. Metal Sonic's weakened Super Form could not withstand such intense power building up inside him; which is why we witnessed his destruction right now. In one blow, Shadow managed to expel all of Metal Sonic's unstable energy, and save us all."

As Eggman finished speaking, every eye fell upon the "sleeping" Shadow, all alight with awe and admiration.

"In the end, Shadow was the one to beat him," Tails remarked in a slightly envious tone.

Knuckles growled irritably.

"Bastard."

"Well, he had a lot of help," Sonic spoke up in a reassuring tone to his upset friends. With a wince, he sat up with Amy's help and looked around at all of them. "If all of us hadn't driven Metal Sonic crazy like we did, Shadow wouldn't have been able to pull this off. We'll just have to make sure to remind him of that when he wakes up."

The blue hedgehog sighed in relief and looked up at the sky happily. "At least we don't have to worry about Metal Sonic anymore," he remarked with delight.

Just as something landed with a mighty crash right in between their little gathering.

Six pairs of eyes simultaneously swung around to stare at the fallen object. A second later, every pair had widened in shock.

The dust cleared slowly to reveal the blue form of Metal Sonic, lying face-down on the rubble. However, he was not a "complete" Metal Sonic, per say. His left arm was missing, the exposed circuitry at the end of his broken appendage sparking loudly. The entire bottom half of his body, including his legs, had been blown clean off, with dark oil leaking out of it like blood. A large chunk of his head had been torn off from the upper right side of his "scalp", revealing the crackling and damaged circuitry and mechanical components underneath his heavily scratched and chipped metal shell. The normally-glowing optics of the robot were darkened now, indicating that the robot was offline.

Sonic blinked, dumbfounded. "Okay. _Now _we don't have to worry about Metal Sonic anymore," he corrected, looking down dubiously at the blue robot just a few feet away from him. Tails took a step closer to the deactivated, smoking machine and gently poked it in the head.

Immediately, Metal Sonic's optics ignited with a golden glow. Tails yelped in fear and leaped back from the activated robot, while Knuckles and Omega took on a battle stance. Eggman backed away instinctively, no doubt surprised that Metal Sonic was still functioning. Rouge and Amy, still on seated on the ground, nevertheless tensed for battle just like the others. Only Sonic maintained his relaxed composure as Metal Sonic slowly raised his head from the ground and peered up at him through flickering eyes.

"Why?" he demanded in a hoarse, sluggish voice. His single, clawed hand reached forward, and he dug his fingers into a gap between the rubble they all stood upon.

"Why can't I beat you, Sonic?" he asked as he began dragging himself closer to Sonic with his only hand. His eyes alternated between bright and dim gold repeatedly as he inched closer to his organic counterpart. No one moved, all of them gawking at Metal Sonic as he pulled himself towards Sonic, all of them stunned by the sight.

"Why do you… always… win?" The robot's voice had dropped to an extremely low pitch now, with his words coming out slow and punctuated. Even the glow in his eyes was flickering rapidly in intensity. Just looking at him gave off an impression of feebleness and desperation. It was quite a pathetic sight, actually.

Now only three feet away from Sonic, Metal Sonic stretched his trembling hand out at Sonic pathetically, as if trying to grab hold of him.

"Why can't I ever… ever…"

The gold light in his eye was suddenly replaced with its original crimson one, before it vanished altogether. Metal Sonic's arm went limp, and with a static beep, he slumped face-first onto the ground.

There was a stunned silence amongst the group for a second, before Sonic remarked softly, "Okaaayy. _That _was kinda weird." He then sighed with relief and grinned happily at his friends.

"It's finally over, isn't it?" Tails asked, moving to stand beside Sonic and Amy so as to peer down at the defeated Metal Sonic. Sonic nodded his head in affirmation.

"Yep, it's over. Though, he seems to have forgotten that Shadow was the one who actually beat him." He laughed good-naturedly.

Knuckles joined the three and gazed down at Metal Sonic with an identical expression of relief. A few feet away, Eggman stayed his ground, arms crossed over his chest, and nodding approvingly with a smile. Meanwhile, Omega returned to Rouge and the unconscious Shadow beside her.

"It would be wise to take Shadow to a hospital," the robot suggested in his monotonous voice. "Otherwise, he _will_ end up reaching a critical state."

"Yeah, you're right," Rouge replied casually, looking away from the inactive Metal Sonic and down at the ebony hedgehog in front of her. Even when unconscious, the hedgehog's face still held its characteristic look of sternness, of impassiveness. Then again, any other expression would just look strange and out-of-place on him.

A smile formed on Rouge's lips. "We won, Shadow," she told him happily. "We did it. _You _did it."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Whew! Finally done. Hope you all enjoyed the fight, because there's only one more chapter left.<strong>


	33. Epilogue: Déjà Vu

**Author's Note: And here it is: the final chapter of "Great Power".**

**Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is the sole property of Sega. I do not claim any ownership.**

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><p><strong>Epilogue: Déjà Vu<strong>

"_Chaos…"_

_The cobalt blue robot tilted his head in confusion at the gold hedgehog, wondering what he was planning. The gold hedgehog's face remained as unreadable as always as he finished his sentence._

"… _Blast."_

_With a gasp of surprise, the robot's hold on the organic hedgehog's throat deceased. Metal Sonic's entire body had gone rigid, his limbs frozen in place, his head unmoving. For a moment, there was no other change; and then, his eyes began emanating a blindingly bright red glow. The robot's metal shell seemed to expand before the organic hedgehog's very eyes, as if it were a balloon being rapidly-filled with air. _

_With a smirk, Shadow closed his eyes, and Metal Sonic's body exploded in a fiery inferno. Blood-red Chaos Energy and orange flames engulfed the Ultimate Lifeform; he felt a wave of searing pain, and then nothing._

* * *

><p>The pungent aroma of sanitizers slowly brought the black hedgehog back to consciousness. Crimson eyes vanished and reappeared slowly behind drooping eyelids. Shadow blinked to clear his blurred vision, taking a moment to recognize the tiled ceiling above him and where it meant he was. Slowly, the ebony hedgehog sat up in his bed, glancing down at his body. A multitude of bandages were tied firmly around his body as if he were an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh about to be buried. That, coupled with the familiar surroundings, meant there was no doubt in his mind as to where he was: he was back in the hospital.<p>

_Ugh. Déjà vu, _Shadow thought grumpily as he examined the damage once more. His entire body was aching slightly, but at least this time he wasn't bound in a cast of any sort; that was a relief. As he inspected his wounded body, he suddenly recalled what had led him to receiving these wounds.

It was at that moment that Shadow realized he was not alone in this ward. He glanced to his left at the only other occupant in the room, taking up the bed beside him. The heavily-bandaged blue hedgehog grinned over at him.

"Finally awake, eh, Shadow?" he remarked cheerfully, lowering the magazine he had been flipping through. He was sitting upright against a pillow, signifying that he wasn't as crippled as he might appear. "You've been out for a long time, you know. Almost a week. Again."

Shadow ignored Sonic's humorous tone, eyeing him inquiringly. "What happened?" he asked earnestly. "Did I win?"

His question was so unbelievably childish that Sonic burst out laughing, only stopping when his injured body began to ache from the resulting pain. He sighed and smiled pleasantly at his ebony friend.

"Yep, you did it, buddy," he replied. "You beat Metal Sonic, all by yourself."

"I see," was all Shadow said, leaning back onto his pillows in relief. Sonic looked at Shadow curiously.

"But you know, you couldn't have done it without our help," Sonic reminded him sternly, wagging a finger at his fellow hedgehog. "So don't get it into your head that you're unbeatable or some-."

"You don't have to bother saying all that," Shadow interjected, crossing his arms across his chest and relaxing in his bed. "I'm well aware that I couldn't have beaten Metal Sonic without your help. More than you know…"

His eyes narrowed as he recalled the epiphany that had struck him due to a series of sentences. Had it not been for those words, he might not have had the idea to try using Metal Sonic's own power against him. And then, he would not have been able to beat the robot in the first place.

Sonic blinked uncertainly. "Erm, okay," he replied rather lamely, watching Shadow silently, as if expecting him to say something further. When Shadow didn't, Sonic shrugged and returned to his magazine.

It was a full ten minutes that Shadow spoke up once more.

"So if Metal Sonic is defeated," he began slowly, "I assume that means the Chaos Emeralds were released from within him?"

Sonic looked up from his magazine at Shadow and nodded. "Yeah, I think they were," he responded in a tone of confidence, despite the dubious choice of words in his answer. "I couldn't sense anymore Chaos Energy from him, so I'm guessing the Emeralds released themselves from him and disappeared to who-knows-where on the planet. For the moment, they're whereabouts are unknown."

Shadow snorted. "Until the next sociopathic megalomaniac comes along to gather them all together," he stated in grim humor. Sonic nodded in agreement.

"That's true."

At that moment, the door opened and a familiar figure in a lab coat stepped into the room. The green tree frog smiled at his two patients and strolled over to them, medical clipboard posed in hand.

"Both awake, I see?" Dr. Anura noted pleasantly, peering down at the two bandaged hedgehogs. His eyes slid over to Shadow and he smirked faintly.

"I believe, the last time we met, I said that I hoped not to see you here again for a long time," the doctor recalled amiably. "It seems that's not the case."

"Hmph. It's not my fault I'm back here so soon," Shadow retorted with stubborn pride. He jerked his head in Sonic's direction. "If these people were capable of saving their own assess more often, I wouldn't be in this situation."

Dr. Anura stared at Shadow, not sure whether the hedgehog was being hostile or not. He glanced at Sonic as if seeking clarification. Sonic smiled reassuringly.

"That's just his way of saying that he'll risk his life to save his friends," Sonic "translated". Beside him, Shadow rolled his eyes, and with another "Hmph", looked away.

* * *

><p><em><strong>One Week Later…<strong>_

After a torturous week in the hospital (with no one but Sonic to torture - err, keep him company - most of the day and all night), Shadow had finally been discharged from the facility, as had Sonic. Currently, the black hedgehog stood at the top of a four-story building, peering down at the heavy traffic on the streets, courtesy of the routine lunch rush that occurred at this time of the day. Horns were being honked impatiently, and frustrated cries from the drivers wrenched the air, while the much wiser pedestrians shook their heads slightly at the pointless antics of the ones in the cars. Shadow watched it all from his perch, as always not really paying attention to what he was seeing and instead immersing himself in his thoughts.

"Out of the hospital already?" a familiar alluring voice spoke up from behind Shadow. "I thought you weren't supposed to be discharged until tonight. You couldn't have just waited until then?"

The ebony hedgehog did not turn around as the ivory bat sidled up beside him to peer down at the jam just like him.

"Hmph. I spent a month in recuperation, and then nearly two days trapped on a deserted island, and now I just spent another two weeks in the hospital," Shadow stated tersely. "I'm sick of waiting."

Rouge looked over at Shadow and laughed. "Funny. I'd have thought the guy who spent fifty years waiting in a capsule, just to exact his revenge, would be used to waiting. Then again, you didn't have Sonic to deal with during that time, so I guess it was much more bearable?"

An amused smirk spread across the hedgehog's face.

"And what brings you here, Rouge?" he inquired, ignoring her comment. "I would have thought you'd be busy trying to steal the Master Emerald from the Echidna, seeing as how he finally managed to locate all its shards and piece them all back together."

Rouge shrugged. "Oh, I felt he deserved a chance to spend some time with his beloved rock, since he was separated from it for so long," she replied in mock sympathy.

"Two weeks, huh? He must have been suffering so much."

"Totally. All those beatings he got from Metal Sonic were probably nothing compared to the broken heart he had."

Shadow sneered, "Well, aren't we skilled in reading other people's hearts."

Rouge winked slyly at him. "You'd better believe it, hon; especially when it comes to men. You guys are easier to read than one of Dr. Suess' stories."

Shadow smirked in turn and looked away from his "friend".

"So, you got any plans for today?" Rouge asked off-handedly. "Because I was thinking we could go celebrate our latest victory over Metal Sonic. How about we have a party with the others? We didn't really get the chance to celebrate, since you and Sonic have been in the hospital since then."

"No," Shadow replied curtly. "I'm in no mood to mingle with all those idiots."

"Yeah, you never are," Rouge agreed solemnly, nodding her head. She shrugged at Shadow. "Well, you want to do something, just the two of us?"

Shadow frowned without looking her way. "Such as?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know… We could go to the mall or something… Oh." She looked at Shadow apologetically. "Sorry. I forgot. You don't like malls, do you? We could go do something else -"

"Actually," Shadow suddenly interrupted, looking at her with his impassive face. "I would like to go to the mall."

Rouge blinked and stared at Shadow.

"Come again?"

"You heard me. I'll go to the mall with you." He turned his body to face her. "I do, however, have one condition…"

Rouge nodded. "Right. No cosmetics shops. Got it."

"No, not that - although, yes, I would prefer we stay clear of those… No, I have something else in mind…"

* * *

><p>"NOOOOO!" Sonic wailed shrilly, clawing desperately at the carpeted floor. The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes in exasperation, tugging at the blue hedgehog's leg in an attempt to drag him out of his house.<p>

"Come on, Sonic, you _have_ to go!" she remarked crossly. She jerked her head at the white bat and black hedgehog that stood behind her in the doorway. "Rouge and I are going to the mall, and even Shadow agreed to join us this time! He even wanted you to come along specifically!"

Sonic shook his head frantically, green eyes wide in terror. "No way!" he shouted in a fearful tone. "I'm not going shopping with you girls!"

"It won't be that bad, Sonic!" Amy reassured, though she rolled her eyes exasperatedly once more.

"As if! I've heard stories about women and their shopping sprees! I haven't even written my last will and testament yet! I'm not ready to die!"

Without a word, Shadow walked up to stand beside Amy, grabbing hold of Sonic's other leg and forcefully pulling him towards the door. Sonic yelped and held on more tightly to the carpet.

"Let go, Shadow!" he demanded. Shadow smirked down at him.

"C'mon, Sonic, stop being such a baby," he sneered nastily, pulling at Sonic's leg violently. Green eyes glared up at the red ones.

"I despise you," Sonic hissed venomously. Shadow's smirk intensified.

"I know," he replied cheekily. "Great, isn't it?"

And with a mighty tug, he broke Sonic's hold on the carpet and dragged him to the door.

"NOOOOO!" Sonic repeated in desperation. His eyes flitted up to the yellow fox standing on the other side of the room, watching the scene uncertainly.

"Tails, help me!" Sonic pleaded to his friend. "Don't let'em take me away!"

Tails shrugged helplessly as Sonic was pulled out into the sunlight.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Aaaand scene...<strong>

**What comes around, goes around.**

**Thank you all for reading/reviewing this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. There's no point to writing a story if no one's willing to read it. So again, thank you all for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it very much.**

**Along with these last two chapters, I've also uploaded the starting chapters for my new Sonic story. If you're interested, go check it out. I highly recommend giving it a chance.**

**Until next time, my fellow Sonic the Hedgehog fans.**


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